Test Came Back and I'm Anemic & 10 weeks pregnant?

Question

Any tips on what I need to do? Or what type of Iron pills to get?

Answer 1

the doctor should of gave you some tablets? he gave me some at 28 weeks  

Answer 2

I have always been anemic since high school. Not really sure why. I was anemic during both of my pregnancies. The iron pills always made me sick to my stomach. I tried all different techniques such as taking it every other day, taking the slow release, taking the liquid version etc. However, I would get awful stomach aches and then eventually throw it up. However, everybody is different. Your doctor will give you prescription for iron pills and see how it goes. If you are uncomfortable with stomach aches or constipation tell your doctor. They can try different types. However, in the end of my pregnancies I had to go to the hospital and have an iron transfusion done. During the ninth month I was still anemic so they put me in the hospital (just for the day) and did an iron transfusion which took about six hours. After the transfusion I felt wonderful. It gave me this burst of energy that I think made labor easier as well. I think they wait to give it to you towards the end because it takes a week or two to really see the effects and they plan on it being very effective during labor and after the baby is born. I noticed the difference in my energy level for about six weeks after.  

Answer 3

Get Slow FE It is a slow release iron tablet that is easier on your system. Take it with orange juice and it will help the pill dissolve better. If you have problems with it like constipation try only taking it every other day. That's what I had to do.  

My dr. recommended that and my prenatal vitamin. If you are taking a prenatal vitamin as well and i'm sure you are take them at opposite times of the day. The prenatal vitamin does not have enough iron for some of us.. obviously because if it did yours wouldn't be low.

Answer 4

The prenatal vitamins your dr gives you should have plenty of iron. you can also take regular Flintstones vitamins (make sure they are plus iron) and eat lots of red meat (hamburgers, steak, etc.)

Good luck!

Answer 5

You may need to take a suplement but also if I were you I would get in the habit of eating meat every day.  

A multivitamin for pregnancy is best.  In Canada Materna is recommended.  It has everything plus folic acid which you MUST take.  Even if you don't take the mulitvitamin take folic acid - it can prevent birth defects such as spina bifida.  

Good news if it was your period that was making you anemic that should have stopped.  

I was terribly anemic my hgb was 4.  I started eating meat at least once a day and now it is 14.  I am back to being a blood donor and they can't believe how good my hemoglobin is.

Also you can overdose on iron - please don't take more than the daily amount.

Answer 6

Your iron requirements go up significantly when you're pregnant. Iron is essential for making hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to other cells. During pregnancy, the amount of blood in your body expands until you have almost 50 percent more than usual. And you need more iron to make more hemoglobin for all that additional blood. You also need extra iron for your growing baby and placenta.

Unfortunately, most women start pregnancy without sufficient stores of iron to meet their body's increased demands particularly in the second and third trimesters. If you get to the point that you no longer have enough iron to make the hemoglobin you need, you become anemic.

Your risk is even higher if you have morning sickness severe enough to cause frequent vomiting, if you've had two or more pregnancies close together, if you're pregnant with more than one baby, if you have an iron-poor diet, or if your pre-pregnancy menstrual flow was heavy.

This is why the amount of iron you need shoots up during pregnancy from 18 to 27 milligrams (mg) a day. And because it's hard to get enough iron through diet alone, the Centers for Disease Control recommend that pregnant women take a daily supplement of 30 mg of elemental iron as a preventive dose. Many prenatal supplements contain that amount.

Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia, but it's not the only cause. You could also develop anemia by not getting enough folic acid or vitamin B12, by losing a lot of blood, or from certain diseases or inherited blood disorders such as sickle cell disease. The treatment for anemia depends on the cause. Iron supplements are not always the answer.

If your test indicates that you're anemic, your practitioner will prescribe an iron supplement of 60 to 120 mg a day or more. To make sure you absorb as much of the iron as possible, take your iron pills on an empty stomach. Wash them down with water or orange juice (the vitamin C helps with absorption) but not with milk (calcium hinders absorption).

Note that these doses refer to the amount of "elemental iron," or pure iron, in a supplement. Some labels list the amount of ferrous sulfate (a kind of iron salt) instead of or in addition to the amount of elemental iron. A supplement that contains 325 mg of ferrous sulfate will give you about 60 mg of elemental iron. Others use ferrous gluconate, 300 mg of which yields about 34 mg of elemental iron.

Your baby does a good job taking care of his iron needs — he'll get his share before you do. If you remain anemic during the first two trimesters, though, you're at a higher risk for having a preterm delivery or a low-birthweight baby, so it is something to take seriously. And if you're severely deficient, it could affect your baby's iron stores at birth, increasing his risk for anemia later in infancy.

Iron-deficiency anemia affects your health as well. It can sap your energy and make it harder for your body to fight infection. And if you're anemic later in pregnancy, you're more likely to have problems if you lose a lot of blood when you give birth. You may feel dizzy, have a rapid heart rate, or have other symptoms that require you to stay in the hospital an extra day or two. You're also more likely to need a blood transfusion.  

Answer 7

the Dr needs to give you a prescription so you get the right amount. you could be very anemic or just slightly and you don't want to little or too much.

call the office back and ask them for a prescription.

don't just gouge out on meat either, eat healthier iron options, like broccoli.