Thalassemia Patients and Friends
Discussion Forums => Living with Thalassemia => Topic started by: Proso on October 30, 2014, 09:20:11 PM
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Hi there. I wondered if there's any other thalassemia carriers who have experienced high ferritin in pregnancy? I'm half way through and it has risen from 200s to 300s and I suspect this will continue. I'm on high folic acid and obviously can't take iron, my hb is about 9.5. I'm being monitored but am of course worried. In England they don't have huge experience of this, so would love to know that I'm not the only one! Thanks
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Ferritin reacts to things besides iron, so I would not be alarmed. It's still close enough to normal to not raise concerns. Any infection or inflammation will raise ferritin levels, so they are not a good indication of true iron levels. The iron level should be checked using ferritin, serum iron and total iron binding capacity.
What is most important during thal minor pregnancies is that you take a high dose of folic acid daily, as you are already doing. The best form is l-methylfolate and you should be taking 2-5 mg daily. Natural vitamin E is also recommended to help prevent clotting issues that sometimes occur with thals.
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Thank you ANdy, this is extremely helpful. Good news is that my levels have gone down and I'm being monitored very well. I hope this gives hope to others. x