Thal Minor Pregnancy Posts

Hi Anthea,

I hope you and baby are well tonight and resting happily! I had a different doctor for each one of my 3 successful pregnancies (due to living in different areas) and what really amazes me is that during each one of my pregnancies I clearly had issues with low Hgb. Never once did any of the 3 separate doctors or hospital staff mention to me how low my Hgb was before or after giving birth. The most shocking was with my middle child, after she was born they couldn't figure out why my blood pressure was not coming up, they kept giving me fluids and acting rather odd, but no mentioned blood count, etc. After requesting records on everything I could, I found out that my Hgb was 7...that probably explained it since with BTM I am not usually too far below normal with my Hgb but enough to notice it is not within normal ranges.

My personal advice is find a doctor that you feel is listening and considerate of your own experience with your own body - otherwise you may be reluctant to discuss concerns with him/her and that is never a good thing!

Best wishes to you & your family

Hi There,

I just found out that I am pregnant 4 days ago, I expect that I am 5 weeks gestation as we were monitoring my cycle so that we wouldn't get pregnant yet, but I am happy. 
I have a 12 year old boy and a 6 year old girl.  I was divorced and am remariied to an amzing man for almost 2 years.

I was diagnosed with Thal Minor 4 years ago and I have no knowledge of the numbers that everyone is speaking of.  Once I was diagnosed, I was told to take a ferrous sulfate daily and eat well.  Now that I am pregnant, I am more concerned and this site has given me a ton of great info.

I am nervous that I may have a baby with Thal Major as my husband is Black and we don't know if he is a carrier for Sickle Cell.  We will be going in soon to get more info.

I am just hoping for support on here as no one that I know has ever even heard of Thal and my doctor represented the info in a way that made me not worry.

I am so, so, so tired. I am freezing cold all of the time. I am average heaight and maybe a little chubby.  I am active and work full time.   

Dear MamaAwna,

Welcome to thalpal.  My first thought is that the doctor who put you on an iron supplement may not be fully knowledgeable of thalassemia minor.  Unless if one is iron deficient, the iron will not increase your hemoglobin levels: rather it can be harmful to you.  Unless if you are truly iron deficient an iron supplement is not good for you - of course during pregnancy our iron requirements may be higher so it is ok to take whatever level of iron is contained in prenatal vitamins.

A healthy diet and good supplements, which are listed in the vitamins and supplements section of the forum are good for you - however considering that you are pregnant you need to be aware of which vitamins may not be good during pregnancy - and a general prenatal vitamin may be best.

You are right to have your husband tested for thalassemia and sickle cell anemia, and hopefully he will not be a carrier of either.  It is good that you are aware of your own thalassemia status so that you can have your husband checked.  In the unlikely case that you are both carriers, your child may still not have thalassemia major or thal/sickle because there is only a 25% of that happening - meanwhile there is a 75% chance of everything being fine. 

It is great to plan ahead and be knowlegeable, but I would not worry about anything at this point - most likely everything will be fine.  You are making good choices by checking everything ahead of time. 

We are all here to support you during your pregnancy and for any other thal minor concerns you have as well,

Congratulations on your pregnancy and best wishes 

Sharmin

Thank you for your reply Sharmin!  I am 9 weeks now and I am experiencing 'morning sickness' all day, exhaustion and sever smell/food aversions.  I never had this before!  My husband lovingly teases me saying that that I have higher pregnancy hormones because I am having twins!  That is only his wish! 

Have a great week!

Thank you for your reply Sharmin!  I am 9 weeks now and I am experiencing 'morning sickness' all day, exhaustion and sever smell/food aversions.  I never had this before!  My husband lovingly teases me saying that that I have higher pregnancy hormones because I am having twins!  That is only his wish! 

Have a great week!

Hi MamaAwna,

I wish you a beautiful and healthy life ahead and to your Angel [or should I say Angels? ;)]. 

-P.

I'm 31y,17-18w pregnant with thal minor (Hb 8.2, low hematocrit,low MCV,low MCH).This is my 2nd pregnancy in 6y marriage.The first one was BO in 2009. I have just found our that my ferritin is high (175) and my TIBC is low (189). Does high ferritin+low TIBC always indicate anemia of chronic disease?Is there any possibility? My TIBC+ferritin are normal in 2010.

hi all.. i am an old member here...

I am now pregnant at 6 weeks, and my Hb is 7.1. Before pregnant, I always have Hb 8 something.
My iron is normal..though my ferritin is high,336ng/ml.
My obgyn said i have to consul with hematologist, the problem is, I live in Japan where Thalassemia is a rare thing. I am now taking folic acid 2000mg, Vit E 660mg and B complex plus balancing my diet with good nutrition.

As long as I take bed rest, I am ok... But I still afraid of my baby condition..please give me some advices regarding to my condition.. I really appreciate it.. Thank you

Tusrayya,

Congratulations on your pregnancy.   Although Hg levels can often be low for thalssemia women during pregnancy, and often this doesn't usually affect the baby in any adverse way - some haematologists choose to transfuse pregnant a mothers at least once during pregnancy.  It helps the mother feel more energy and in some cases is needed for a health pregnancy.    Doctors may also transfuse near the end of pregnancy to get the Hg up before delivery in case the mother loses blood during delivery - if the Hg is already very low it might get too low after the birth.

Your hematologist will know what is best for you.  He/she may check your spleen size as well.  Be sure to take a prenatal multivitamin.   

Best of luck,

Sharmin

The form of folate is also important. L-methylfolate works best. You could even raise the dose as high as 5 mg daily.

Thank you Sharmin and Andy for your advices...

I ordered the L-methylfolate already through amazon, since they dont have it in Japan.
I bought Life Extension brand, optimized folate L-mthylfolate 1000mcg. Hopefully this brand is the good one.

Should I include Vit. B12 as well ? Thank you in advance.

regards
Aya

Yes, do continue B-12. Sublingual forms of B-12 that dissolve under your tongue are best absorbed. The folate is a good choice.

Hi, since my Hb dropped to 6.4 today, my hematolog advice me to do the transfusion for the sake of me and my baby. Hopefully after the transfusion I will getting better and my Hb will stay on the good level, 8 something through my pregnancy...

When the Hb drops that low, transfusion is always needed. I assume you are thal intermedia.

Hi Andy.. I have no idea what thal i have. But this is my first transfusion..
I never check what kind of missing chain in my Hb... So Have no idea wheter I am thal alpha or betha.

With a normal Hb around 8, you are not thal minor. It would be classed as intermedia.