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[esanders]

I am 12 weeks pregnant and have thal b minor.  When I went to my first doctor's visit, I made sure they knew I had thal.  They recommended me to a hematologist right away and I went the next week.  They did bloodwork and decided I should come back in 3 weeks to check my levels again.  If there were no improvements or things were worse they wanted to start me on IV iron - Venofer.  I just went back this Tuesday and in less than a month my hemoglobin had gone from 11.6 to 9 - normal for women is about 12 - 16 grams/deciliter.  They decided to go ahead with the Venofer.  I voiced my concern about having thal and receiving more iron could be harmful, but they were not concerned or just aren't knowledgable about it.  So that same day I had my first "treatment" and was scheduled for one a week for five more weeks.  I felt fine the first day, but everyday since Tuesday I have felt extremely sick.  I'm experiencing nausea and vomiting, extreme weakness/fatigue, etc and now it is not from morning sickness.  I called the doctor yesterday and they prescribed some nausea pills, but I am nervous to take them.  Now I am unsure about continuing with the treatments because of how terrible it has made me feel and I know I probably should have done more research before agreeing to put my body and my baby through these treatments.  Does anyone have any experience with Venofer?  Any help would be appreciated.  I am definitely talking to both my OB/GYN and hematologist on Monday before I continue with the IV iron.
Thanks - Emily

[Andy Battaglia]

Hi Emily,

Iron levels cannot be determined by hemoglobin level and it is quite normal for the Hb to drop during pregnancy of thalassemia minors. Some minors do need iron during pregnancy but it shouldn't be taken for granted that they do. Instead, it would be better to do a series of blood tests called iron studies to verify that you are iron deficient. Ask your hematologist to run these tests before taking iron, as iron should only be taken by those who are confirmed as having iron deficiency.

We have many post about pregnancy in thal minor. You can see them by going to http://www.thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com/index.php?topic=3041.msg30075#msg30075

[Narendra]

Emily,

Welcome to thalpal.

I would also encourage you to eat foods that would help you with Iron. They might NOT help as fast as the IV Iron, but are NOT as tough on the body. Some foods that have high Iron are beans, dates, green leafy vegetables, fruits like prune.

You can also find more information from the sites below

http://www.ucsfhealth.org/adult/edu/iron_and_anemia_in_pregnancy/index.html

http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/eating-well/pregnancy-diet/iron-food.aspx

[Andy Battaglia]

I might add to Narendra's advice that all vitamin C foods will also aid in iron absorption, so try to make sure you're getting foods like citrus on a regular basis.