Hi thalmom,
Do you have other iron panel results, specifically the TIBC (total iron binding capacity)? Your serum iron has stayed in the normal range of 20-150, but your ferritin has been slightly higher than normal over several tests. I don't really see anything that says iron deficiency here, but TIBC would shed a bit more light on it. However, you may still need iron supplements during pregnancy to make sure blood production for the baby is normal. Some possibilities for readings like this are chronic inflammatory disease (such as arthritis or asthma), hypothyroidism, and type 2 diabetes. Pregnancy also affects the iron tests, so the results during pregnancy may be different from when you're not pregnant, without having any real implications.
Blood transfusions given to thal minors during pregnancy are done out of necessity and the Hb should not be allowed to drop below 8. Below this point, any sudden drop in Hb level can prove dangerous to mother and child, and sudden drops can occur, and with thal minor, anecdotal reports I receive here and through talking to thal minor moms has made me realize that thal minors should have special monitoring during pregnancy for Hb level and also for any signs of thrombosis (blood clots). I have read the article about thal minor and pregnancy and disagree with the conclusion that thal minors have no more problems during pregnancy than do non-thals. I disagree because at least half of the thal minor moms I have talked to have had one or multiple miscarriages. The non-thal carriers do not have this high incidence of miscarriages. It is well known that the hypercoagulable state exists in thal major and intermedia, but again thal minor is ignored. However, to a lesser extent, the same properties of red blood cells exist in minor that exist in major, small misshapen cells and an excess of alpha globin chains that have insufficient beta globin chains to combine with. This "clutter" produced by the small RBC's and the excess alpha chains lead to a state where clotting of the blood takes place more easily. It is known that in thal major pregnancies, thrombosis can lead to miscarriage as the thrombosis results in less circulation between the placenta and uterus. If this circulation is too weak to support the fetus, a miscarriage takes place. Whether it is ever proven, the anecdotal reports suggest this is also occurring in thal minors on a regular basis. If you do get pregnant I would highly recommend taking vitamin E supplements and also a daily aspirin (as long as your doctor agrees), as both act as blood thinners and vitamin E is also an essential nutrient that you should probably be taking daily already as it is necessary for so many functions including improving the health of the circulatory system and the heart. B complex is also very important for the production of red blood cells and may help keep your energy levels higher. Folic acid can safely be taken in doses up to 10 mg daily, so you can easily raise that also. 2-5 mg daily is recommended.
As far as the reticulocyte count, the normal range is .4-1.8% so you are in the normal range. When it was higher, it was a response to low Hb levels.
I agree that you should work to get your body in shape for a pregnancy and that supplements can help. Wheatgrass tablets are easy to find and are effective, as is the wheatgrass supershots from wheatgrassactive.
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?c=1&pid=4993http://www.grassfactor.com/order.htmA good source for vitamins is Puritan.com. Good quality and good prices. You can also find many other quality sources for supplements online.
I think with some preparation and some precautions during pregnancy that you can have a healthy safe pregnancy. If you do get pregnant, ask your doctor to watch for any signs of thrombosis, as other medical measures can also be taken to prevent problems if they do develop.