Low iron in pregnancy

[anonhop]

Hi, wondering if anyone has experience of low iron in pregnancy?

At 28w mine was 104, was on tablets from 31 weeks + at 34 weeks, dropped to 90.

I feel horrendous - dizzy, blurred vision, exhausted, breathless, shaky & sweaty all the time. Originally thought blood pressure but it's when I'm sitting & lying down as well.

Midwives have scheduled an urgent meeting to "discuss next steps".

Anyone have similar experiences? Was hoping for a low risk home birth - is that out the question? I'm 34 + 4 now...

Tia x

I’m a low iron person- and I’ve been told to have 2x 200mg of iron to get it up so I can be low risk for the delivery I want!

id suggest getting an iron infusion if you can?

Thank you. Good luck with the tablets.

I've been prescribed 1 x 200 mg per day, but the stomach pains they give me are horrendous so I've only been taking every 2/3 days...

I have read about infusions but not sure when they offer them / whether worth the risks etc. I feel like I'm doing a medicine degree with all the reading in this pregnancy!! X

Steak and leafy vegetables are your friends (hope you're not vegetarian?!). I had around 104 at the same stage as you and managed to get it raised with diet. I had half a steak daily at one point (couldn't manage more than that). Iron tablets don't always absorb properly so don't work as well, plus I had terrible piles so didn't want the iron tablets as would make me constipated 🙈

@Oldermum84 thank you- that's reassuring! I have been eating red meat, spinach, dried apricots & drinking OJ like it's going out of fashion but iron levels still plummeting :(

It's reassuring to know the diet changes aren't a complete waste of time though! Hope all went ok for you x

I had an iron infusion after giving birth- it helps!
side effects I got was staining of the skin which was infuriating because they never told me it would happen!

try drinking orange juice with your iron?

@Twinkletwinklelil thank you, glad it worked for you!
Was the skin staining permanent? I have read it's a possible side effect

Thanks- I am trying with the OJ + iron at the same time and staying off calcium & caffeine afterwards but nothing seems to have made a jot of difference! So frustrating x

@anonhop its been almost 2 years and has faded a little now!

Hope you find some relief.. x

Not pregnant, but anaemic too - I have to take iron tablets 2x week for 6 months. My GP said to cut down dairy with meals (so no milk with meals) as it prevents iron absorption, but have orange juice instead. Also have high bloodpressure due to (very) low iron levels - hope you get better soon!!

@Ohdearyme72 I did not know about dairy!!! I am anaemic too and I drink SO much milk 😭😭😭

@Twinkletwinklelil that's reassuring, thank you! xx

@Ohdearyme72 thanks for your reply. My midwife also said to avoid calcium for 2 hours after taking iron tablets so maybe it's that?

I am drinking sooo much OJ with every meal & trying to cut out my much loved milky coffees...

Have you had any improvement in your iron yet?

If you’re struggling to take your iron tablets daily due to stomach complaints go back to your GP.. I’m assuming with the dose being 200mg you’ve been prescribed ferrous sulphate? The alternative for if you have stomach issues is ferrous fumarate which is easier to digest.
following that possibly an iron infusion, I’ve had one before was fine!

@Emma543 thank you. I did mention this to my midwife, who said that taking them every other day should've been fine & in fact they often recommend that. However it clearly hasn't worked for me.

You're right it's ferrous sulphate - I've had ferrous fumarate in the past (pre-pregnancy) & had similar issues so I'd be open to trying again but not optimistic.

Glad you had a decent experience with an infusion- do you remember what level your iron was before they recommended that? X

I had low iron throughout my pregnancy, was taking ferrous sulphate and seemed to keep it at an ok level. When I first started it, it made me feel unwell but then it settled down. I had to have iron infusions after birth and ended up with skin staining due which is annoying but made me feel so much better! Is an infusion an option for you? Maybe speak to your midwife about it and see if it is. I hope you start feeling better before you get to full term x

@2boysandmee thank you for sharing your experience <3

Did your iron levels drop a lot after birth which is why you needed the infusion?

I'm hearing a lot about skin staining which is putting me off a bit but I feel so awful & of course want what's best for baby & for me so would do it if recommended.

How was the actual process of the infusion for you btw? X

@anonhop yes, it didn't help that I lost around a pint of blood after birth as well.
The actual infusions were fine once the cannula was in correctly, no pain or anything and didn't take that long. I had them done on the postnatal ward.
I ended up with the skin staining as the first cannula wasn't in correctly and of course the iron leaked under my skin. It's been around 6 months and the staining seems to be getting darker at the moment, kind of looks like a bruise or birth mark. I'm hoping in time it will fade slightly

@2boysandmee thanks- reassuring to know the actual process wasn't too bad.

Sorry to hear about your blood loss & staining though :( hoping you make a full recovery. A PP said their staining had reduced / become less visible so hopefully with time it'll fade xx

@anonhop thank you, I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well and you get your iron levels under control and start feeling a bit better soon x

@2boysandmee thank you lovely x