Anaemia and stopping periods, don't really want to.

[Coldhands]

Last year when my DS was about 20 months, my doctor found out I was anaemic (iron and folic acid deficiency). Doc said it was probably from when I was pregnant. I had the tablets for a few months then it was ok.

I had another blood test a couple of months later and even though my iron levels were still within the normal range, they had dropped quite significantly. I am due to have another blood test in a couple of months to see if levels have dropped again. My doc just says its probably due to my periods. TBH they are not that heavy, not light but nothing to worry about at all. She wants to stop them with the coil or injection but next year we want to ttc for DC2. Last time it took us over 3 years, found out I had endometriosis and almost had IVF (found I was pregnant 3 weeks before we were due to start). Because of this I would prefer to stay on the pill and not mess around with my cycle anymore as when we were ttc before my cyle was anything from 27 days to 41.

My doc said she will refer me to the hospital for them to have a look at my bowels but she really thinks it is due to my periods. I am unsure as I have IBS, so I'm told, but I have always felt that something is not quite right, due to random pains in stomach etc.

Does anyone have any similar experiences of this? If my body doesn't seem to be storing iron, I'm not sure that stopping average periods will help. I didn't have this problem before DS.

No one?

have you been tested for coeliacs disease?

Sorry no experience, but whenever I have read about blood loss during periods it always mentions that woman don't actually lose that much. As you have stated your periods aren't that heavy then I would say they shouldn't be a reason for your low iron.

Maybe have two blood tests, one just before you period then another straight after it has finished? Surely that would give you more of a picture?

Does IBS mean you don't absorb food properly? Sorry, I don't know anything about it, I'm just going through your post and looking for clues.

Do you know to take iron supplements with oj, but not tea? That can make a difference. Also what iron supplement were you taking?

Generalising terribly, there are 3 possible reasons for low iron/folate: to little intake ie diet or poor absorbtion ie Coeliac's disease or some other bowel disorders, or too much loss ie bleeding. This can be anything from bleeding gums to inflammed gullet/stomach/bowel/piles.

Are you vegetarian?
Was your Vitamin B12 level ok?
You say your periods are not particularly heavy. Are they frequent?
Do you have any bowel related symptoms at all? Constipation? Lose motions? Passing blood/mucus?

IrritableBS does NOT cause low iron levels, inflammatory bowel disease can do.
Stopping your periods would help, but is obviously counterproductive if you'd like to TTC again in the near future .

IMO referring you for further tests is probably the wisest way forward. And keep taking supplements, ideally with Vitamin C as this helps the absorption of iron (fresh orange juice would do the trick).

Good luck!

Well, I've not had the exact same experience, but I've been struggling with low iron since my dd was born nearly 10 months ago.

I would personally not want to have a coil or injection simply to stop my periods (especially when they're only average AND when I'm thinking of trying again for a baby) when I've low iron. I think that there's surely a better way to handle it. My sisters are both on a daily iron pill to keep their iron up. I feel I'll probably have to do the same.

My GP suggested that often times women simply need the boost of an iron pill to keep them 'in the positive' after pregnancy. She's suggested to me that I should be eating meat (including chicken, pork, fish -not just red meat) twice a day. She said that vegetable iron (broccoli, spinach, other leafy veg) is harder to digest so for people that don't absorb iron well it not the best way to attain iron (so focus on the meat more.)

If nothing else I would say to your GP you really want to try an iron rich diet for a number of months (if you've not already tried this option) and see what that does. Ask what other options you have. (For instance I know other women swear by Spatone but I've not tried this option yet myself)

Thanks for your replies.

I have been tested for Coeliac, that was ok.

I have many 'bowel' symptoms. I often bleed slightly when I go to the loo, sometimes have lots of mucus too. Suffer occasionally from diarrhea (can't spell that).

I have also started drinking OJ and not drinking tea with food (never knew about that before doc told me).

I wouldn't say I had a poor diet really, not a veggie, and periods are every month. I have a feeling that is isn't just IBS (not that I think it is something serious), but I get a lot of random pains in my stomach and when I need to go toilet, I get crippling cramps and sometimes feel very dizzy and sick with it. I go and it passes. I do know that this is IBS symptoms though. But as nothing else (apart from coeliac) has ever been considered, I would rather have things checked just to make sure that it isn't anything else.