What is your ferritin level?

[Mandyblur]

I was just curious what everyone's ferritin level was? I found out mine was 11 today having spent a year getting it to 56 i'm quite disappointed.

Midwife said i don't need iron tablets but my own GP knows i do as when my levels get below 20 i get a fast heart rate, heart palpitations, weakness, fatigue and even my hair falls out, so as of tomorrow i will be back on iron supplements

Anyone else had any issues with ferritin?

 

[NYGirl]

Mine was just under 4 a couple of months ago (!) Needless to say I went on iron. In pregnancy anything above 10 is seen as fine, i've managed to get mine up to 11.9 now and I can tell when it drops almost immediately as my right leg gets twitchy (not normal but its a very clear indicator for me)

 

[MrsWhite]

I don't know what my numbers are, but after my gestational diabetes test the office called me to tell me my iron levels were low and that my midwife wanted me to take a supplement. I will ask her when I see her tomorrow. I had thought I was feeling pretty fatigued but just chalked it up to pregnancy. One of the nurses I work with told me last night she thought I should lie down because I looked white as a sheet. And I have been craving crunching on ice the last couple months. I guess it makes sense now!

 

[MrsWhite]

Also, how long before the iron supplements start to bring levels up? ANd how long before you started feeling better?

 

[candycurls]

My ferritin was 8 at 18 weeks. Haemoglobin was 12 tho. But I took iron for a month - I figured that would be enough to boost stores. Recently had my 28 week bloods. Hb still
12 but they didn't check ferritin. As long as haem is ok that is the main thing! But low ferritin indicates risk for haemoglobin falling. It does not mean u are anaemic x

 

[NYGirl]

When i'm really low I can start to feel the impact of a bit of iron almost immediately but I believe that must be a mental thing as there is no way it can act so fast...however midwife thinks that I get so severely low that it is possible to feel some impact pretty quickly, but who knows!

 

[Mandyblur]

I can always tell when mine has dropped, i've had problems with ferritin levels for nearly 3 years now, last time it dropped, it dropped to 3 and i felt so ill it was untrue - it took me a year to raise my levels to 46.

Because my ferritin keeps dropping (due to heavy periods normally) they put me on ferrous sulphate as soon as my ferritin drops to 20, below 20 i start to feel ill again.

Its been no fun, i honestly thought with my high iron diet and the fact i've not had periods for 7 months that my levels would be good but clearly not

 

[NYGirl]

Mandyblur i'm also on ferrous sulphate (double dose), I think because the baby is basically a leach it takes everything from us to ensure it grows ok hence our crazy low drops in iron stores. A level of 20 its a bit of am ambition for me, that's my aim for one baby is safely here!

 

[twobecome3]

mines low, not sure on the numbers. been taking a liquid supplement for about 3 weeks now, and the mw's took my blood again last week. so I find out on Wednesday if it has improved. about two weeks into the supplements I had a lot of energy all of a sudden, and now im tired again, but who knows if that's just from being pregnant

they were saying something about getting oxytocin after birth if my levels are still low, something about it helps with blood loss? idk, I was half asleep at the appointment.