[madmum_sarah]

well, remember i had my bloods done before i went away and i was told all were fine apart from my VERY low iron levels???
well have a read of this....

In a recent study, a low iron intake in women was found to lead to an increased risk of ovulatory infertility; meaning that a woman's body is unable to produce healthy eggs.

The women who participated in the study had no history of infertility. They were prescribed different dosages of iron and iron supplements in order to test the effects on their fertility. The women's prescribed iron intake was dependent on their age, weight and lifestyle, among other factors.

The study found that by increasing their intake of iron, the women had a 40 to 60% lowered risk of ovulatory infertility. [/b]

so maybe, just maybe that was the reason for my losses all this time! i know i was Oing but maybe the eggs just werent healthy and thats why i lost them and also it would explain why i Od on cd5 and cd6 some cycles!
i have been taking extra iron this cycle (although not as much as i should have ) so my hopes have just raised slightly! i will increase them a little next cycle if i need to but they cause more problems with my ibs.
i knew i always had low iron levels but i didnt know it could cause infertility!!!!

please note... get this checked by your doctor before assuming that is your problem ans buying suppliments! too much iron can be dangerous! this is for info only and not a diagnosis for you. all these things should be checked by your own doctor! standard pre-natals meds contain enough iron for most ttc!

[..Jessica..]

Wow, I had NO idea that low iron caused infertility!!!! It sounds like your increase of iron this cycle is exactly what you needed, Sarah!!!! I've been thinking lately that I need to be taking a multi-vitamin everyday. Any recommendations?

[Pitridge]

Jess, if you are going to start strying, I would just start taking pre-natals.

[madmum_sarah]

standard prenatals are normally enough jess. mine is just a problem because i have low iron all the time, just sometimes it goes really stupid! i have been taking pregaday and ferrous sulphate this cycle so im hoping now that maybe it will help sort my body out
xx

[..Jessica..]

Well, Saturday is November 1st, so I might as well start them then!

I think you taking those vitamins is what did it, Sarah!!!!

[Eleysia]

Im gonna agree with the prenatals jess.

Sarah i think thats the little boost your body needed hunny.

[madmum_sarah]

we will see. i still have 2 weeks til i can find out (darn havig a long lp!)
i will test on 8th nov but i dont think it would be accurate anyway as i will still be early.
still trying not to get my hopes up but i can tell you girls cos im sure you will understand, its a huge relief having some idea of what caused my losses (yes i know its not 100% sure) but there is a very good chance that is what it was. im sat here in tears thinking maybe my body isnt as messed as we thought and the losses werent my fault, its just natural for me to have low iron and thats why it happened.

[..Jessica..]

It's not your fault, as you had no idea your iron was low! Now you have a slight idea, and you're working on changing it! I can't wait for you to get your baby, Sarah!!!

[Danielley08]

WoW!! I never knew that!!

I'm borderline anemic! Wowsers...

TFS Sarah!!!

I hope your increase in iron supps is all you needed for your sticky bean!!!

[madmum_sarah]

well maybe you need to be getting that extra iron as well danielle. maybe thats what we both need to get our sticky beans!
wouldnt it be great if it is something as simple as that!
xx

[Eleysia]

Thats so crazy. I know im anemic, not severly but enough for the docs to tell me to take iron. I just never knew it was linked. It makes me even more curious since at least one of my m/c was a blighted ovum, which has to do with bad eggos hmmm..... maybe ill definatly start my prenatals back up this month then.

[Pitridge]

Eleysia, I would start prenatals now, why wait. I started taking mine like 5 or 6 months before we got pg.

[madmum_sarah]

go ahead and start girls. sooner the better.
i cant believe such a simple thing can cause such drastic problems.
ok, so it doesnt talk about causing loss but we all know that bad eggs = loss!
even if i dont get pregnant this cycle, at least i have some kind of closure by discovering this. maybe that will help with my grieving
xx

[Danielley08]

yep...they actually recommend starting them up to 3 months earlier because it can take that long for the vitamins to replenish what you are missing and have enough extra for the baby...

I've been taking them since I got my first 'script back in March...I'm actually almost out of refills...

And yes Sarah...it would be awesome if it is something that easy to fix with us!!!

[Pitridge]

It's awesome that it's such an easy fix.
Danielle, when are you testing?

[~Lynda~]

oh great sarah, now we all are gonna go out a buy iron supplements!! there's going to be a shortage on iron!!!! ok in all seriousness now, i didn't know that either!!! i hope this is what has been causing you trouble. easily fixable!!!!

[madmum_sarah]

lynda
for a "normal" person (whatever that is) the iron in pre natals are sufficient but in some cases (which does seem like majority of the long term ttcers here) low iron can cause some huge problems. i called my local doc at home about it (i love living on a small island sometimes) and he says he has never been told about it. he says he is aware that low iron WHEN pregnant is a problem but not while ttc. he looked up online and called me back and has said he thinks it could be that after all and that we should check my iron levels if af shows and see about increasing the meds if need be and changing my ibs meds to counteract it

[Eleysia]

Sarah I really hope your preggers now, but if not, thank god you have a doc on your side willing to listen finally!!!

[Brittanie]

Interesting. I never have iron problems until I get pregnant...but I'm feeling it right now. I am going to have my Dr. test me at my next appointment.


Anyway, I hope that it works for you ladies!! It actually makes sense to me, since the iron in your blood is what helps your blood carry oxygen. If you have low iron, parts aren't getting enough oxygen, which definitely makes sense about not being able to produce good eggs. But I hadn't thought about it until I read that.


LOADS of to you ladies!!

Thanks for sharing, I had no idea! I don't know if I have low iron or not....but I'll get that checked out! Makes a lot of sense I guess, I don't know how come, out of all of our docs, no one told us this before!