Pregnancy & Thalassemia Major

Hello to everyone, this forum is very helpful & informative. Thanks  to the administrators and everyone who shares such useful information.  I am a thal major patient & I wish to receive some advise about pregnancy, how should I prepare myself (health wise) if I was to have a child.  What tests should I carry out in order to make sure that I am well prepared to become pregnant.  Would love to receive feedback from thal major patients that have given birth.  Thanks 

Hello Luana,

I think your health should be good if you plan to get pregnant. I hope your ferritin levels are low. You will have to get in touch with your doctor to plan for pregnancy. There are a lot of Thal (Major) women who have started marrying and living a normal life with having their own biological children.

You can read more about Pregnancy for Thal (Major) at the link here http://www.thalassemia.org/updates/Pregnancy2.pdf

One part of that document is pasted here for reference

Make sure to get your hematologist's blessings before trying to conceive. You will need their help and support throughout the pregnancy, so get them on-board from the beginning. This is
especially important if you have complications from thalassemia (cardiac, endocrine, hepatitis C or HIV).
Get yourself in the best possible health before conceiving, because pregnancy is stressful on the body. Get your ferritins as low as possible, preferably below 1000, because it is better
to avoid chelation therapy during the pregnancy, and in the first two trimesters, the ferritins will start to rise. Be prepared for more frequent tranfusions. Although it didn't happen to me, it has happened to other pregnant women with thalassemia.

Dear Narendra, thank you very much for the link you provided me!

what should ur iron be to get pergnant