Pregnant Thal Minor

So I just happen to come across this website and I have read alot of your posts.  Im 29 yrs old, found out I was thal minor when I had my last baby, 3 years ago.  Doc told me there was no symptoms so I pretty much forgot about it. I have been living  my life thinking I was lazy, cant seem to go out much and totally exhausted. I am very pale and always have bags under my eyes. I started taking prozac for being depressed. Then I started taking these diet pills because they gave my tons of energy. They are a prescription diet pill and im sure they are very bad for you. I recently stopped because I got pregnant, now about 3 months along. I am sleeping off and on all day, I feel like a zombie. No energy at all. My daughter asks me not to go to sleep again, I feel sooooo bad. I told my doctor if we dont figure this out I will go back on the probably bad diet pills as soon as I have the baby. I need that energy to be a mom.
I've been to my doctor and they did some blood tests. Results:

wbc count: 6.6
Red blood cells: 4.84
HGB: 9.5
Hematocrit: 29.7
MCV: 61
RDW, RBC: 15.6
Platelets count: 233

My doctor told me to take iron and I had to explain that Im not supposed to. She doesn't have a clue about thal. Anyway, does everything look ok with my tests? Is there other tests that I should be getting or can get so I can figure this out? I am only taking a prenatal vitamin/w iron, should I not be? Is there other supplements I can take to help me not be so tired? Thank you so much for your help!

I finally just asked for a referral to a hematologist.  I'm not a dr but your tests look like my tests and i survived 2 pregnancies. Ask for a hematologist and if they won't refer you then get a new doctor.

Hi cjhcurtiss ,

Some of your questions are answered in a post I did earlier today.

See   http://www.thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com/index.php?topic=3170.msg31850#msg31850

Narendra has also compiled a group of threads that deal with the various issues that may arise in thal minor pregnancies. You can see this list at

http://www.thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com/index.php?topic=3041.msg30075#msg30075

One very important area of consideration in some thal minor pregnancies is miscarriage. Some minors experience multiple miscarriages. This is most likely due to insufficient blood flow between the uterus and placenta, a result of clotting issues during pregnancy. Vitamin E offers some blood thinning properties and may be of some help. Often, doctors will prescribe one baby aspirin daily. I mention this only because it is a recurring problem in some thal minor women, and it helps to be aware. Your blood test results look very normal for thal minor and your Hb, while lower than a non-thal's, is higher than what we hear from many pregnant women, so right now I think your tests look good.

Some thal minor women will need iron during pregnancy just as any other woman's iron demands will be higher during pregnancy, so this needs to be determined based on the mother's needs. I agree with  Expecting#2  that it helps to have a hematologist with some knowledge of thalassemia involved. Every woman should take folic acid during pregnancy, and with thal minor, a dose of at least 2 mg daily is advised.

You should help yourself and forget about the diet pills after you have the baby. The long term effects can be devastating. A nutritional approach to managing your health will be much healthier in the long run, and will help you be the parent you want to be. Your hemoglobin level will always cause some physical limits, but you can help yourself by making sure you get a nutritious diet and take the supplements that can help build blood and provide more energy. As you look through the thalassemia minor posts, you will see that many minors have the same symptoms. It is not well known among the medical profession but from the hundreds of minors who have joined this site, we have to believe that symptoms are fairly common among minors whose hemoglobin levels are below normal, especially at lower levels. Your level is mid-range for thal minor but you  might be able to bump it up a little with an emphasis on nutrition. Thal creates more demand than normal for most nutrients and from another post you made, I think you've already seen how important vitamin D is. This is where minors can help themselves. You won't get much accurate information about thal minor from most doctors so it it necessary to educate yourself and accept for now that the doctors don't have access to much information about thal minor.