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Iron Deficiency Anemia

knottief9db519741a08ee7knottief9db519741a08ee7 member
in 3rd Trimester
Hello everyone! I am 28 weeks pregnant. Had an appointment yesterday and got a CBC done. They said my hemoglobin was low, mine was 11.4 (normal for them they said is 11.9). So mine was just slightly low, and said I’m a tad bit anemic, and to recommend me start taking over the counter iron supplements. They didn’t give me a recommended dosage so not sure how many mg I should be taking. I know iron can cause GI upset (nausea, constipation, etc) and I’m worried about that.
For those who have similar issue, how many mg are you taking daily? And what brand seems to help?
My prenatal already has 27 mg of iron, I don’t want to get one that is too much and cause my issues since my levels were just a little low.

Thank you!!
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Re: Iron Deficiency Anemia

  • noortlenoortle member
    I haven’t been taking iron supplements so can’t speak to that — but if you only need a little extra and don’t want an upset stomach, finding foods high in iron that you can eat more of might help. Stuff like red meat or chicken, lentils and beans, dark leafy greens, and dried prunes or apricots have more iron in them. And cooking on a cast iron pan can add iron to the food. Those are all things I’ve tried and I’ve never been flagged for anemia, even though my sister and mom both have had low iron.
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  • knottieed263699f76f76e0knottieed263699f76f76e0 member
    I also have anemia. I'm 32 weeks now and they are testing me again next week to see if I will need infusions. We think my issue is more that my body isn't absorbing iron as much as it should so I may need a few rounds of infusions. My doc recommended that I take an iron supplement once or twice a day pending what I can tolerate. I started with once a day (in addition to my pre-natal) then started adding a second dose. I've been taking "mega food blood builder" and I have had luckily had no GI issues thus far. I had another friend that took a liquid iron supplement that worked for her. 
    https://a.co/d/3AcVBeR

    I'll find out if these supplements worked for me in the next two weeks and I'll keep you posted! Good luck!
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  • knottiec2fef4dacdc03294knottiec2fef4dacdc03294 member
    I'm on the borderline of anemic too. My midwife recommend 150mg iron supplements using the brand Ferrapro (I'm in Canada) as she said they're kind to your tummy. I'm finding them ok, but my tummy does always seem to be a bit uncomfortable, but I guess that's just pregnancy! I took one every other day for 5 weeks and my iron levels didn't rise so now I take 1 a day and we are checking my levels again in a few weeks.

    There seem to be a lot of ways in which you can inhibit the absorption if you take it near to the certain kinds of foods, so just read the label / check with your midwife/Dr as to when's the best time of day to take it to maximise absorption!
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