Low Ferritin-Infertility?

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Offline domenica

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Low Ferritin-Infertility?
« on: November 15, 2010, 02:02:28 AM »
Hello everyone!  I an new to this site and am very happy that I found it!  I found out that I had thal minor almost ten years ago.  Not until recently did I realize that symptoms I have been having for quite a long time were due to the thalassemia. I of course was in the beginning told that I would never have symptoms and never needed to worry about it.   I ended up needing a blood transfusion (2 units) about a month ago.  My hemoglobin was extremely low (7) as was my iron levels.  My hematologist started me on iron twice a day along with folic acid. But she was completely un-helpful as to some other questions I had regarding pregnancy.  I'm hoping to find some insight here.

I have checked other posts but have been unable to find anything regarding this topic.

My husband and I have been trying to conceive for a year and a half with no luck.  I've heard that low iron levels can cause fertility problems.  I've tried researching it but have not found any sites that I completely trust that can give me answers.  Has anyone heard of this?  I'm now hoping that if I can get my blood levels as close to normal as I can, that I just might be able to get pregnant.

Thank you in advance for any help!!
Faith~Hope~Love

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Offline Zaini

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Re: Low Ferritin-Infertility?
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2010, 09:06:43 AM »
Hi Domenica,

Welcome on the forum :) from what i have read,low iron intake can effect fertility in a woman,

Quote
The Link Between Female Infertility and Low Iron Intake
In a recent study, a low iron intake in women was found to lead to an increased risk of ovulatory infertility; meaning that a woman’s body is unable to produce healthy eggs 

http://www.sharedjourney.com/iron.html

And your hemoglobin was pretty low,going for pregnancy with such low levels could be dangerous,because hb goes even lower when we are pregnant,do you know what exactly were your iron levels and which tests were done to determine your iron deficiency?

Zaini.


^*^Xaini^*^

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Offline domenica

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Re: Low Ferritin-Infertility?
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2010, 12:51:28 AM »
Thanks so much Zaini! 

I do know that it is dangerous to be pregnant with that low of hemoglobin, but I was completely unaware that my hemoglobin was even out of range.  As of a few weeks ago my hemoglobin has increased to 10.1

I do know the levels and tests :)  These are the most recent ones done a few weeks ago

Iron Serum-26
Iron Saturation-7
Ferritin Serum-8

These are just the iron tests that were done that day....there were quite a few others done also.  But these were the only ones for iron.
Faith~Hope~Love

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Offline Andy Battaglia

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Re: Low Ferritin-Infertility?
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2010, 02:46:36 AM »
Hi Domenica,

Iron deficiency can affect fertility, and thal minor does also have some effect on the ability to have a successful pregnancy. Because your Hb has dropped so low, it would be advised to correct that as much as possible before attempting to get pregnant. You would most certainly need regular transfusions during pregnancy if your Hb is as low as it is now. If there is no endometrial bleeding taking place, then you should be able to raise your Hb with iron and other supplements. Do you know if you have always had a low hemoglobin level? Do you have any earlier test results at any point during your life? This would give you some hint as what your norm is, as with thal minor, it is often lower than normal. This could give some target for what to expect from iron therapy.

I am going to give some recommendations that will help with both your anemia and also help you have a better chance at a successful pregnancy. You mentioned folic acid. This is essential for every woman trying to get pregnant and during pregnancy, as it lowers the risks of birth defects. For thal minors, take 1-5 mg daily, and once pregnant, no lower than 2 mg daily. Take vitamin C with the iron. This will improve iron absorption and will also improve the circulatory system, which is extremely important during pregnancy. Both you and your husband should be taking natural vitamin E. It has been known for decades that this improves potency and fertility. It is also highly recommended in all forms of thalassemia because of its strong antioxidant properties. Get your vitamin D level checked. This is the single most common vitamin deficiency and somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 of all people tested, test deficient for D. The minimum level should be 30 and there is much research that suggests 50 should be the goal. Most body functions are affected by vitamin D deficiency and fertility is affected. There has been a virtual explosion of information about vitamin D in the past 5 years and doctors are becoming quite aware of this and most will order s test if requested. Take a B complex supplement daily. Eat a good diet with fruits and vegetables and avoid processed foods as much as possible. This will help you overcome the anemia more quickly and also provide more antioxidants, which are very helpful for thals.

As you poke around this site, you will see plenty that testifies that thal minor is not a benign condition, and that for many people it does affect the quality of their lives. However, few, if any doctors will acknowledge thal minor as a cause of any problem. What this means is that you will get little help from doctors in trying to improve your health, so you have to become proactive and learn what you need to do to improve things on your own. Nutrition is a key.
Andy

All we are saying is give thals a chance.

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Offline Andy Battaglia

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Re: Low Ferritin-Infertility?
« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2010, 02:49:20 AM »
Hi Domenica,,

I see you answered one of my questions while I was working on my own post. Does your doctor have any explanation for the sudden drop in Hb? Is there any sign of abnormal bleeding that would be behind the iron deficiency?
Andy

All we are saying is give thals a chance.

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Offline domenica

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Re: Low Ferritin-Infertility?
« Reply #5 on: November 18, 2010, 04:23:32 PM »
Thank you so much Andy for all of that information.  I really do need some kind of direction because as you said, my Dr. truly does not ackknowledge that thalassemia affects me daily.  Its really hard to find out what to do when you own Dr. will not listen.  So I truly appreciate all that you have told me.

There is no explanation for the drop in my hemoglobin, but I am pretty sure that I have always ran low.  The last I remember checking it, it was at 9 and I believe that was a couple years ago.  It just has never dropped as low as it did recently.  But as I posted previously I'm at 10.1, so hopefully it does not drop again anytime soon!!!

And there is some abnormal bleeding that could be attributing to the iron deficiency.  I am trying to get that under control also. 

It just seems like one thing after another sometimes!!  But I am so happy that I can come here and chat with people who understand and who have been down this road before.  I don't feel so alone now :)
Faith~Hope~Love

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Offline Prets

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Re: Low Ferritin-Infertility?
« Reply #6 on: November 18, 2010, 06:26:33 PM »
Thal related anemia, can also affect the hormones. It may help getting those checked too. Some hormones can temporarily stop ovulation. One symptom of that would be irregular/extra cycles.

Symptomatic Beta Thal Minor.

 

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