Iron Levels

Does anyone know what yor iron levels should be ?
When at the hospital today they said mine was low i think she said 109 and they have come down since the week before.

Are you taking your supplements?

Not at the moment Natalie but she did say to start taking some. I've been trying to eat red meat but don't eat much of it and also iron rich food.
I thought i would also talk to my OB when i see her Thursday. I know my iron levels went back up a few weeks ago and with having weekly blood tests i will know how quick they are dropping or changing.

I'm not sure what they should be either Michelle, but I've just had mine tested and they were extremely low apparently (as a result I'm currently taking double the daily dose of iron tablets!)

B456 i was going to start taking my Elevit again but will wait to see what the Dr says Thursday.

Melinda do you know how low yours was ?
I know they need my levels up for the birth and i don't want mine to go to low.

Michelle, I have only just read this, wish I could have seen it earlier. I have always had trouble with my iron levels, at it's lowest it was 17 with which I had an iron infusion to bump it up. Even then it only went up to 133. I believe low iron is classed as under 30. Try taking iron with vit C. You can buy it over the counter its called Ferrous C. I have been taking this now for 6 weeks since my last iron check, and my levels have gone from 32 up to 56. With my last check, the GP said 56 was great (for me anyway, I am also not pregnant like you) and to continue with the supplement.

HTH

Hi,

Iron levels are measured in 2 levels.

One measurement, which sounds like the one you had, the normal range is 115 to 165. Mine got down to 88 when i was pregnant and the iron tablets made me sick so i ended up having to have an iron infusion, which involved 7 hours on a drip having iron given to me and a day in adult special care unit.

The other level is a low number, im not sure what the normal range for that level is but mine was extremely low at 7.

So my levels were 88 and 7 and that apparently was far too low and needed iron supplements but because they made me sick i then HAD to have an iron infusion.

I hope this makes sense and helps you.

I know last week it was 111 and this week 113 the doctor didn't say anything this week about then but i had been taking iron tablets for a couple of days.

Thanks for letting me know what the range is Kristi.

This is sooooo common in pregnancy - some women can be taking all the supplements and the right foods but to no avail. Some doctors make such a big song and dance about it, but yes there are two things they measure, spelling I am not sure of but ferritin (SP?) and haemoglobin. A client's mother is a chemist and actually explained to the midwife what the results actually meant, as they were complaining she had low iron, but it wasnt a problem in reality.

Hey,

What exactly is haemoglobin?? I am a bit confused because I think my doctor mentioned it at my last visit, which was BT results and I think he said it was low.... so he put me on FGF which is iron and folate supplements.. does that mean he thinks I am low in iron or am I on the wrong track here?!

Well my levels have been pretty damn low - at 16 and 5 in those two groups (Ferritin and the other one - I can't remember what it is.......).

Hi Ladies!

Ngala - Haemoglobin is the iron-containing protein which attaches to our red blood cells and transports oxygen around the body. This means that iron and oxygen transportation go hand in hand.

If a woman has a normal iron count before birth, it is much easier for her to regain a good iron count, even if her post partum blood loss is greater than normal. If a woman with a low iron count has a baby, it is more difficult for her to regain a normal iron level.

This is why some health professionals place such an emphasis on stable iron levels.

clare076 is absolutely spot on about taking viatmin C with your iron supplements as it aides in iron absorption.

During pregnancy iron requirements increase nearly 8 fold to accomodate for both mum and growing bub so you can imagine that it is extremely hard for mothers to maintain stable iron levels just through food intake. All you wonderful women are not alone!

Hope this helps and isnt an overload.

I am still trying to find out testing preocedures and the significance of results so ill post again if I am successful in my search! :D


:happyforyou:

I know this is an old thread but I've been diagnosed with extremely low iron, my levels are below 5 (iron level not haemoglobin) and I need iron injections. I'm nearly 27 weeks pregnant just wondering what low iron can do to my baby.. I've been anaemic all my life... Will it affect the chances of a natural birth?

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Your iron needs to be at a good level for you in case you hemorrage during/after the birth. Its dangerous to leave you with low iron going into a birth. If injections bother you, ask them about the possibility of having an iron infusion. Its a day thing where u spend 8 hrs having iron slowly infused. As with any procedure, the risk of having a reaction is there but they keep a close eye on you and are onto it to reverse it if you do.