Greetings from a new member (and supplement questions)

Hello everyone!

My name is Pam and I have beta thalassemia minor. I feel glad to have found this site and to be able to connect with others who may be having similar experiences or have similar questions as me.  I am 25 years old and recently got married. Being the planner that I am, I'm thinking ahead to next year when my hubby and I will start trying to become pregnant. I purchased the book "What to expect before you're expecting" and read it cover-to-cover within just 2 days… I found it very informative and definitely recommend it to others like me who like to plan ahead. Anyways, the book suggests taking a pre-natal vitamin starting now (a year before conception) to make sure the body is in optimal health. The thing is, I cannot for the life of me find any prenatal vitamins that do not contain iron. I've read up on a couple of brands that are available in the US (like "GNC Prenatal Vitamin Without Iron" and "Happy Healthy Smart Prenatal Vitamin"), but unfortunately cannot get them shipped to Canada where I live. I am wondering if I should just bite the bullet and give in to a standard prenatal vitamin with iron in it… but am worried about getting iron toxicity as a thalassemic. In the past, I had some surgery done and my doctor put me on iron pills for three months to prep for the surgery. He put me on Feramax 150… which contains 150 mg of iron (crazy, right?!). I found out just moments before my surgery that after 3 months of taking these pills, my iron levels had actually dropped from what it was when I first started taking the pills (from 32 to 9!!!!)  As such I quit the stupid pills and switched family doctors since then. However, I am now left curious about these prenatal vitamins and any potential damage or toxicity the iron could cause over the 2 year span I plan to be taking them. Luckily I was only on the Feramax 150 for 3 months… I wonder what could have happened if I had stayed on them. 

Currently I am supplementing with a B complex by AOR on the advice of a holistic nutritionist and am also taking Greens Plus by Genuine Health as a supplement in the mornings just to try to stay optimally healthy as I am often fatigued and have a bit of low blood pressure. I also take chlorella powder in my morning smoothies because they are a natural source of iron and am wondering if I should continue to take these since my doctors have been pretty clueless about my thal. up to this point.  Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated!!

Cheers,
Pam

You cannot get iron toxicity from vitamins and supplements alone. Iron overload is a problem with thalassemia major.

You took Feramax and your iron levels actually dropped. It is possible, since elemental iron in these tablets sometimes does not absorbed properly, you may want to try "Slow Release Iron" Fe tablets for better absorption, your doctor can prescribe them for you.

Fatigue, tiredness are common symptoms of thalassemia minor. I think Green Plus is a good supplement.

The most important advice for you is to have your husband checked for thalassemia minor trait. You want HEMOGLOBIN ELECTROPHORESIS test done on him to determine if he is free from thalassemia minor trait. There is a 25% chance in every pregnancy that a child could be thalassemia major (if both parents are thalassemia minor).

Best of luck.

Can you get Centrum Silver? It does not have iron in it.

If you are trying to get pregnant, you should be taking folate, preferably in the form of L-methylfolate, and natural vitamin E as well. Both will help thal minors have successful pregnancies.

Centrum Silver has recently changed their formulation.  Oakland is now recommed
recommending 'one a day (women over 50 variety)'.   This formulation is ideal for thal minors and majors alike.

Sharmin,
we have been using Raw one" (for men) for little E. that has all the trace minerals in addition to the other vitamins. Is that still good or you suggest using One a day?

Hi Bostonian,

We were using Raw One for quite some time.  I think it is good - but during our visit to Oakland this summer we were told to switch to one a day for 'women over 50'. 

We will switch Little Miss A to One a Day (Women over 50) as well.

Sharmin, thanks for sharing the recommendation.

Thanks Sharmin for letting us know....We will also make the switch.....