iron count need advice

[louay1]

hi all am starting to get a bit worried about my iron count. currently 39 weeks and ever since i got pregnant my iron count has been going down it is now at 89 this is while i have been taking 3 iron tablets a day. the midwives do not want to seem to do anything to raise it but i am just worried that even with medication it isn't going up. i take the tablets with orange juice since that is supposed to help with absorption, been eating food full of iron like spinach etc but nothing seems to be helping. has anyone else had this and can anyone offer any suggestions for getting it up

Are they iron tablets from a pharmacy? They often have little iron in eg 40 mg and I was on 240mg when I had anaemia. Could you try your dr if you think your iron is low? Why aren't your midwives worried?

yeah they are from the pharmacy, mine are 210mg 3x daily and that is only after i spoke to the doctor to say i was worried that it wasn't going up after taking them from 18 weeks 2x daily. The midwives have just said they won't do anything until it drops below 80 but i'm more concerned that it doesn't seem to be going up with the medication.

It does seen odd. I think some people are naturally lower than others. Perhaps go back to the dr (or a different one) and press for an explanation if you're worried.

Im not expert but with supplements it matters on the brand how much absorbency those vitamins really have in those tablets.
It is about the form they are in, other ingedients etc. maybe you should try liquid iron supplements as these seem to have better absorbency.
Or do some research which iron supplement seems to be of best quality.
Im taking Floralix floravital.

My iron count was 40 and the midwife said to start taking supplements, but she wasn't actually worried unless it dropped below 30. So although it's something to try to improve, 89 doesn't sound too bad. Also, my midwife said it's normal for iron levels to drop as pregnancy progresses, as the baby takes more of it.

I'm vegetarian, and the body can't store iron from vegetarian sources, so it's important I get enough each day. If you eat meat, red meat is a good source of iron and the body can store excess iron for future uses. The other thing to think about is that some other vitamins and foods can prevent iron absorption - so make sure you're not taking iron supplements or iron rich foods at the same time as caffeine. Some grains also restrict absorption. Orange juice promotes absorption, so it's good to take pills with a glass of orange.

Actually just remembered that it's my ferritin (stored iron) levels that are low at 40, not iron in the blood stream. Thought I'd update just in case anyone takes the last message too seriously! I don't know what the normal range for blood stream iron is.

I've just spent 7 hours in hosp getting an iron transfusion because my iron levels wouldn't come up, I don't know what my exact levels were but know haemoglobin was down to 99!

Cashew nuts have more iron in them then the same weight of beef.

Think the units of measurement can differ between hospitals. After my section mine were 70 and the Drs wanted me to consider a blood transfusion. 30/40 and you wouldn't be able to walk. Dr also put me on iron tablet at levels of 100. OP see your gp and push for answers.