low iron

[Iworryalot]

Hi waiting for results for low ferratin ,does anyone els have this and what are your symptoms ?thankyou .

Ferritin is an indicator of iron stores int he body so basically it sounds like you're being assessed for iron deficiency anaemia.
In women this is often caused by heavy or long periods and can be compounded by low iron intake.
Any cause of chronic blood loss can cause this . in it's own right it's easily fixed with iron supplements but the underlying cause may need some thought.

tankyou ,i do have very heavy periods so this could be why , i also have IBS so i think my rapid BM, maybe iron i eat may not be absorbed quick enough ,
have you had low iron/ferratin

No. I'm medical and deal a lot with anaemia and iron deficiency. IBS shouldn't affect your absorption of iron . My money is on the periods. It's suprisingly common.

Oh and don't worry. Common and easily fixed, the only problem may arise if iron supplements affect your bowel symptoms from the IBS. iron tablets can make you constipated. Mention to your doc if they suggest you need iron tablets.

Thankyou , i will , still waiting for call from doc ,
i have had this on and off for a year now and this will be 3rd lot of iron ,if have to have it , i do try to eat lots of veg high in iron but to be honest it really upsets my IBS so i stay clear a bit .i must sort out my periods though, as its getting me down and am having to plan things around them which i shouldnt have to do .

l

I became quite anaemic with second dd and had to have an iron infusion(!) when i was bout 7 months pregnant. Now i take Spatone every day with orange juice (iron tablets really irritate my tummy) which you can get from boots or any health food shop and it really helps. If i don't take it for a few days i can definitely tell. It is natural iron water. get some!

I got my blood results back with this 4 weeks ago.IT turned out my storage had depleated. They say it has been long term.I have had 4 kids,3 of which in 3 and a half years and always bled heavily for prolonged periods of time. I was feeling exhausted like never before but put it down to having my 4th baby in march. I had also lost hair which i put down to hormones, turns out this is part of it.I am on hormone tablets to stop all bleeding and 3 iron tablets aday and going back monthly for blood tests.

got results ferratin is ok, 13 which for me is good as droped to 8 last year ,im going to take some iron still though as want to top it up . blood count normal ,thyroid normal and hormones ok to .
as i do suffer with health anx this could be why i get tired always worrying ....

Spatone is great for low iron and it doesn't make you constipated like the tablets from the Dr.

I get really tired, dizzy and breathless

me to and palputations but that could be anx

make sure you drink planty orange juice as helps absorb iron into the body i had count of 31 and anything under 100 was classed as low my hair was falling out no perods due to tabs stopping them due to heavy bleeding and continuous low iron but for some reason body wasnt storing iron

red meats and plaenty of othe rthings are high in iron just look up iron rich foods something there may not irritate your ibs

yes will do ,31 thats a good count .
my hair has been falling out to ,very scary specially round hairline , i have been very stressed latley with health anx so this wont have helped .
thankyou for advice

31 was my total on iron stores doctor told me anything under 100 is classed as really low so mine was non existant also under alot of stress though so probably contributed luckily is growing back now as had big bald patch but its coming back after 7-8 mths

wow , hope mine recovers to ....did your count drop below 31 ?i think stress can play a huge part .
need to get monthlys sorted out , had hormone s checked out and came back normal , as thought this was why i was loosing hair ,have heavy p . thinking of going on the pill or Marina coil .have heard this can help .

i am on cerazzette pill due to this as didnt stop bleeding at all and took 3 mths to work but fingers crosse dno periods for few years now did have to up to 2 a day instead of 1 but it seems to have worked

well iron stores under 100 is low i was 31 possibly dropped lower as that was 4 weeks until got results i was weak hair falling out loads tired but also very stressed as my ds was undergoing dx for ASD so stress played huge part

hope you feel better soon

Saramoon, how can you tell when you haven't taken your iron tablets?
Also, can low iron levels make you feel down?

Not iron tablets - they really make me sick. If i don't take my spatone water for a few days, i start to feel more tired than usual. Take it EVERY morning now with a glass of orange juice. But used to forget a lot - esp when dds were babies - and i'd be moaning about how knackered i was feeling and my mum would always say, 'are you taking your iron?'
Low iron levels can def make you feel down. Being really tired all the time isn't fun is it?

i think you need Vitamin c to metabolise iron - when I was anaemic i found iron tablets did nothing but drinking orange juice had a significant effect (was getting tested 2-weekly). Apparently chocolate has lots of iron in it. So maybe a bar of chocolate washed down with a G&T with a slice of lemon in it will do the trick

I have slightly low ferratin levels. Also have heavy periods. Interestingly, low iron levels can be the CAUSE of heavy periods, as well as resulting from. I take iron tablets and there has been a slight improvement in periods and certainly in energy/mood.

just wnated to second the spatone...great stuff and mixed into orange juice, well, makes it perfectly apsorbable (???not sure how to spell that, sorry)

I had reaaaaaaaaaaally low iron - a 9 on the scoreboard I think. And heavy periods. I got some iron shots in my arse - not that bad really, iron tablets with vit C and the mirena coil to calm down the bleeding.

As regards to symptoms I've had low iron for so long I didn't notice any, but am definitely feeling much better now and have more endurance for the gym and cycling and can concerntrate more.

Give the mirena some consideration, if you aren't planning anymore kids in the next couple of years.

And have a bloody great big steak with greens and a glass of OJ for dinner tonight.

And snack on dried peaches and very very very dark chocolate.

lol
When I moved to NZ and signed up with the midwife at about 21 weeks pregant she rang a couple of days later in a massive panic as my iron stores were 4. hopeless. Got them up to 8 by the time I had DS (whoo hoo). Then they were OK again (22 or something a few months after he was born), and then plummeted once my periods came back after about 10 months.

lots of good advice here which I must go off and follow myself...

nice to know im not the only one with low iron ,
just got tablets and going to take vit B complex to , as this is good for hormone balance and hair ect
thanks people for advice and tips xx

I've just been diagnosed with it too. Just got back from the doctors. I've had very heavy periods too since having DD two years ago.

One weird symptom it's causing is numb lips and tongue. I even did a thread about it last week (here) - who'd have thought that was the cause?

It was also making me breathless - something I'd put down to not going to the gym these days!

Just taken my first iron tablet and am hoping to be full of beans again in a few weeks' time. Will watch out for constipation though. How are you feeling now, Iworryalot?