12 weeks pregnant - totally confused

 Hello, I am new here and am so glad to have found this site. I really hope someone can help clear up a few things that I am so confused and worried about.

I am a beta thal minor and 12 weeks pregnant. I have 1 other child and have had 1 missed miscarriage.

To cut out a long story, I had my bloods done at 9 weeks and my hgb was 11.3. I have been feeling unbelievably ill for 5 weeks now (beyond exhausted, can't even climb upstairs without being breathless, difficulty catching my breath at times, dizzy, pounding heart) so when I saw the midwife earlier this week I persuaded her to take more blood and test my ferritin. The results came back yesterday and my ferritin is ok but my hgb has dropped to 10.1.

The midwife was concerned about the drop and advised me to see my GP so I did this morning and after speaking to a hemotologist, she concluded that all I am experiencing is bad general early pregnancy symptoms. I do understand that you feel extremely tired in pregnancy but I am wondering if it is just that or is it my hgb level causing me to feel this way. Also, is this drop potentially dangerous in any way?

It was basically just left at that but I feel that perhaps I should be having more blood tests to see if it drops any more?

One other thing, I was reading another thread on here and it said about taking higher doses of folic acid. I had no idea about this and have just been taking the standard 400 dosage - have I put myself or my baby at a disadvantage? I really feel that GPs seem not to have much understanding at all about this condition and so I have been left to try and learn more about it myself.

Thanks for reading this and any advice is much appreciated.

Hi Cait12,

Hb level will drop in thal minor pregnancies. In fact, it's not unusual to drop as low as 8, even lower sometimes to a level where transfusions are required. Your level is normal range for this point in the pregnancy, but your symptoms are not. This usually will happen further into the pregnancy. It seems early in the pregnancy to already be dealing with such fatigue.

Has your vitamin D level been checked? It is the most common deficiency and deficiency does cause tiredness, fatigue and a low immune system. Other nutrients also do not work as well in the absence of D. The level should be over 30, but my own doctor says at least 35. I agree. It wasn't until I was over 35 that I finally felt good. Get tested ASAP if you haven't already.

Reports from thal minor women who have taken high doses of folic acid during pregnancy tell me that the dose normally recommended for women in general is not adequate for thals. Folic acid is needed to build red blood cells. I recommend 2-5 mg daily. I actually recommend 1 mg for all minors, regardless. I also recommend 400 IU natural vitamin E daily, to help prevent miscarriages. I have written in depth about this previously. You can find many posts about thal minor pregnancies in the group at http://www.thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com/index.php/topic,3041.0.html

Concentrate on a nutritious diet high in antioxidants. A B complex supplement may also be of value in maintaining energy levels.