Just got a call from the OB office

sw_wedding · July 2011

Just got a call from the nurse at the OB office with my glucose results. Good news is I passed the test bad news is I'm a little anemic. They want me to take iron pills. I'm so upset because she called right when I was in the middle of a call at work and couldn't get up from my desk. I rang her back literally 5 mins later and now the office is closed. I suffer from really bad constipation and now it's even worse with the prenatal vitamins. I have been taking stool softeners and they help once in a blue and prune juice. I can imagine how bad it's going to be to go to the bathroom with the vitamins and the iron pills . Right now I go if lucky 3 times a wk.

Any ladies out there suffering from constipation and having to take iron pills on top of the vitamins. Any advise? TIA

LupeVallejo · July 2011

A big reason that you get constipated from iron pills is because your body doesn't hang on to the iron, and whatever your body doesn't hang on to gets passed through your intestinal track (hence the constipation). The trick is getting the correct amount of iron you need AND making sure your body abosrbs it.

Take the pill 30 minutes before you eat anything... this should help. Also, drink them with a full glass of orange juice... the OJ should help so it's not so hard on your stomach, AND it helps your body absorb more iron.

DO NOT take it within 30 minutes of any dairy products or anything really high in calcium (tums)... calcium and iron work against each other in abosrption.

-a fellow anemic.

mjune3881 · July 2011

Try taking Align. Its an over the counter pro-biotic. I'm on Nexium which stops me up too, but paring it with Align is a godsend. Probably TMI , but I take it at about 5:30 every morning and by 9 or 10 I've had a bowel movement. I think it took a week or so to build up in my system.

cheezemonger · July 2011

I got the same news from my ob... exactly. Except that I've been on iron supplements for a while now and I have to double up on them... ugh...

I'll second Lupe's suggestion about taking them with OJ, not dairy. And Mjune about taking probiotics (I just take an acidopholus supplement).

The only other thing I can share is more of a TMI warning than a suggestion. The supplements will turn your poop greenish black. Really weird. At least the ones I am on.

Good luck!

LAHN · July 2011

Katywren:
I got the same news from my ob... exactly. Except that I've been on iron supplements for a while now and I have to double up on them... ugh...
I'll second Lupe's suggestion about taking them with OJ, not dairy. And Mjune about taking probiotics (I just take an acidopholus supplement).
The only other thing I can share is more of a TMI warning than a suggestion. The supplements will turn your poop greenish black. Really weird. At least the ones I am on.
Good luck!

I thought it was just me!!! gotta agree with this, it's super weird. I've been taking stool softeners as well so they are also, um, well, soft too......so not normal.

stephlhy · July 2011

I got the same exact call, lol! What was your iron level? Mine was 11, and they don't want to put me on a supplement, because of the side effects. OB just told me to increase iron rich foods in my diet...depending on how low your levels are, is that an option?

Lainee82 · July 2011

LupeVallejo:
A big reason that you get constipated from iron pills is because your body doesn't hang on to the iron, and whatever your body doesn't hang on to gets passed through your intestinal track (hence the constipation). The trick is getting the correct amount of iron you need AND making sure your body abosrbs it.
Take the pill 30 minutes before you eat anything... this should help. Also, drink them with a full glass of orange juice... the OJ should help so it's not so hard on your stomach, AND it helps your body absorb more iron.
DO NOT take it within 30 minutes of any dairy products or anything really high in calcium (tums)... calcium and iron work against each other in abosrption.
-a fellow anemic.

I'm not sure about oj helping with absorption but I do know my ob said not to take them with milk or calcium fortified oj because it hinders the absorption of iron. So make sure you get regular oj if you decide to go this route. Also, I was having some increased heartburn with the iron and my ob had me switch to Slow FE. She said it was gentler on the stomach.