I am taking Elevit and have been since prior to conceiving our baby. TMI warning....the iron in it is making my number 2's black as black, and i'm sure is contributing to my irregular bowels and consitipation issues. It was the same before pregnancy as it is now 17 weeks in.
I compared the iron in Elevit to the iron in Blackmores Pregnancy Gold for interest - Elevit is 60mg and Blackmores is 5mg!!!! I'm curious as to the big difference - is there are recommended daily intake of iron during pregnancy?
I am not a vego and I eat very well - i get iron from meat, dairy, leafy greens and other veg plus more so I don't imagine I would be deficient if I swapped to the Blackmores supplement to try and stop the bowel issues?
Keen to hear from anyone about their experience taking Blackmores?
Thanks 2 u all
Lolly x
I am taking blackmores but at 28wks had low iron so had to go onto an iron supplement aswell!! It's good to have higher iron instead of not enough in pregnancy. I think it's fine to keep taking the elevit, they wouldn't put too much in. Maybe just get something else like metamucil or something to help with the constipation??
From memory, Elevit has twice the RDI of iron for pregnant women. Unless you have a rare medical condition, the excess iron is excreted - hence the black and sticky bowel motions.
Don't assume that it is enough to keep your iron levels fine, though. I'm not vegetarian and eat red meat regularly, but ended up so anemic during pregnancy that I ended up taking three additional iron supplements each day on top of the elevit just to try to get my iron levels somewhere approaching normal.
My advice - have your iron levels checked by your care provider before switching, and make good friends with metamucil and drink lots of water...
SaraJane, I'd think it was more your body adjusting... I feel like I've had sticky black poo forever, and my OB just seemed to want to keep me taking more and more iron tablets. I do recall feeling tired at times when my iron intake couldn't keep up with Samuel's iron demands on my body - but I don't ever recall my poo returning to normal. In fact, my OB put me back on iron tablets in hospital after Sam was born... I'm still taking them now (at least until I run out) and it's starting to feel like this is the way my bowel motions will be forever...
I'm taking Blackmores - partially because I found I got constipated on Elevit, but also there is no Omega 3/6 oils or Iodine in Elevit - both essential in pregnancy. I couldn't be bothered taking extra things.
I am veg - and just found out today that I am borderline anaemic, so doc suggested I take 200mg of iron per day. So I am taking Spatone a liquid iron supplement with excellent bio-absorption (up to 40%) and it's supposed to be less likely to cause the black poo/constipation. I just did a bit a research and found that the iron needs in pregnancy jump quite a bit - 1st trimester is the same as non-pregnancy status, 2nd tri needs x2 the amount usually required and then 3rd tri 4x the amount of iron usually required for women. No wonder I am beginning to feel tired!
Supplements - too much iron?
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