Low Iron Saturation capacity in Thal Minor

i was diagnosed thal minor in early 20's.. was not bothered by it at all till after giving birth to a child 2 years ago. since then i feel extreme weakness to the point of almost passing out or not being able to perform daily routines. i keep pushing myself through everything yet the feelings becomes more intense from time to time. i get tired very easily yet i dont give up my hope of feeling energetic again. i began exercising moderately 3 times a week to gain muscle tone and lose some weight. but after 3 months i had to stop due to feelings of weakness again. i take multivitamins, b-comples, vitamind D. i went to doctor with my concerns since i have been having this episodes more frequently. however, all tests except iron saturation came back normal. please help me in understanding the iron saturation results. the doctor is asking me to take iron pills for 1 month. would that help me at all? FYI: my Hemoglobin remains between 9-10 g/dL for as long as any doctor has performed my hemoglobin levels. i forgot to add i also have Hypothyrodism, yet my levels are within normal range and i take my meds every morning.  i am a borderline prediabetic, however, my nonfasting glucose is always normal, and since learning of this last year, i have changed my eating habits, i substitute coconut sugar, eat more complex carbs, brown rice, etc. will have my A1C repeated sometime this year by my endocronologist.



hemoglobin - 10.3 g/dl
Hematocrit - 34.2%
hemoglobin - 10.3 g/dl
Hematocrit - 34.2%
MCV – 59.3 fL
MCH – 17.9 pg
MCHC – 30.2 g/dL
RDW  -  20.0%

Iron and total iron binding capacity
Iron,Total  - 33 mcg/dL
Iron Binding Capacity – 328 mcg/dL
% Saturation – 10%

Iron deficiency is possible going by these results. Both the iron and saturation are low. If you can tolerate iron, a one month trial should reveal if you are truly deficient. You also mentioned you take vitamin D. Have you had your level checked? If low, supplements will only budge it if they are high dose, at least 5000 IU daily.

Andy,

all my vitamin levels are normal from the lab report..my B-12 is on the lower side of normal, so following doctor's recommendation to take a higher dose..i was surprised to learn that my Vitamin D levels are Normal as in the past i have had issues with them being dangerously low. i plan to take Iron pills for 1 month and get my levels checked again to see if the iron pills worked or not.

Recent research has showed that thal minors do best when their B-12 level is at the high end of normal, so do try to get it up to the high normal range. It's water soluble and needs to be replenished regularly.