25 yr old HISPANIC w/ Alpha thal minor

Hello my thal pals Newbie here, my name is Lorena im 25 years old and was diagnosed with Alpha Thalassemia Minor on August 2010. My mom has always told me that a doctor in Mexico said i have "smaller than normal red blood cells" but just left it at that. So i've always known i was mycrocytic. I recently graduated as a Psychiatric Technician on dec 2010 ,i've always been the lazy child..but omg the intense stress of school and feeling extra  tired and exhausted, not able to concentrate than most people in my class.. i was like ok "this is not normal", so i went to my doctor and he checked for anemia.. he said something was not normal about the size and countt of my red blood cells, so he tested again like 2 more times, he didnt know what it was so he sent me to a Hemotologist, which diagnosed me as  a  thal.. well let me tell you, they were all in disbelief because im Hispanic and its rare because i do not fit the profile at all! He even asked me, "Are you sure your mom is your mom and your dad is your dad?? (his exact words) umm.. yea i believe so!. according to my mom and dad i am their child lol.. my dad is from Michoacan and my mom is from Jalisco.. so where on earth did i inherit this disorder (of course they have to be tested and of course i has to come from them) but the fact that i'm hispanic doctors were in shock
anyways there is proof that minors have symptoms, thats the reason i was diagnosed because if it wasnt for feeling tired and exhausted (just to name a few) i probably wouldn't know that i had this disorder..
Anyways hope you're all doing well , im so glad i found this site! 
Lets me know im not alone

Hi Lorena and welcome to thalpal,

Alpha thalassemia carrier status is actually even more common than beta thal carrier status and is far more widespread than doctors have realized, mostly due to the fact that it is not easily diagnosed. It is far more common among people whose ethnic background reaches back to the Mediterranean than we previously thought. The one thing you should be doing for yourself is taking 1-5 mg folic acid daily. It is the only universally recommended treatment for alpha thal, as it is essential for building red blood cells. You should also make certain that if you decide to have children, that your partner is tested for alpha thal before proceeding.

Welcome Lorena.

Thank u Laura and Andy
I didn't know about thalassemia at all until I was diagnosed and it seems like doctors don't know much about it either, my doctor knows I have thal and I ask about what I can do about not feeling exhausted, weak, and tired and the only thing she recommends is iron?
Anyways Andy I have two beautiful boys 2 & 5  
and I'm curious to know if they carried on thal minor, I had 2 previous miscarriages before I had my boys , I wonder if my thalassemia had anything to do with it? Cause the hemotologist asked about it
Anyways hope you all doing well <3

Lorena,

There is no official research to show that thal minors have a high rate of miscarriages, but from the countless reports I have heard through this site, I have to say that thal minors have a high rate of miscarriages and a rate of multiple miscarriages that is not even close to normal. There are known factors in thalassemia major and intermedia that are proven to contribute to miscarriage and from the many reports I have heard either through posts or personal messages, I have to say that thal also causes many miscarriages in minors. Vitamin E and possibly an aspirin per day can help avoid this, as these are clotting issues that lead to miscarriage. Blood clotting occurs between the uterus and placenta and eventually the placenta begins to separate, resulting in termination of the pregnancy by the body. Because of the abnormal shape and size of the red blood cells and also because the bodies of thals do not produce equal quantities of alpha and beta globin, there is always an excess of one of the chains, even in minor. These excess globin chains form tetramers that along with the misshapen blood cells basically clutter the bloodstream, and this can cause clotting issues in thals. Using mild blood thinners like natural vitamin E and an aspirin a day can help keep the blood thinner and less likely to clot. As I mentioned before, folic acid is an absolute must for all thals, but especially when alpha is involved. Iron should not be taken unless iron studies show you are also iron deficient. Giving iron when not needed is very common in alpha thal. It cannot help unless you are also iron deficient and long term use causes iron to build up in the body, which can lead to all sorts of problems. Ask the hematologist to run iron studies to see if iron is needed before taking more iron.

thank you so much Andy you're awesome!
im deffinately going to start taking folic acid from now on