Iron supplements

[manxgirl77]

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone has taken iron supplements during pregnancy. I'm due to see my obs on Wednesday, so I'll ask him about it then, but in the mean time, I was hoping for some comments from ladies who have taken it during pregnancy. I'm feeling really tired again now at 15wks, after having a few weeks of feeling much better. I'm not a full vego, but I don't eat red meat at all.

I'm already taking blackmore's pregnancy gold vitamins.

[kiah]

i took elevit coz its got a good iron supplement in it...i was nearly anemic but once i switched to elevit it fixed itself....goodluck

[MonkeyMum05]

I was very low on iron during my pregnancy and was put on ferro-grad c. It's a fairly high dose of iron with vitmain c to assist absorbtion. It really improved my energy levels and dizzy spells!

[misskittyfantastico]

I took fe-fol. An iron and folate supplement.

[aardvark]

For me, Fefol = constipation. I took it in pregnancy #1 and #2.

For pregnancy #3, I took Blackmore's Pregnancy and Breastfeeding formula together with a Sachet of Spatone (iron rich mineral water) in a small glass of OJ each morning. No constipation, and my iron levels were great.

[misskittyfantastico]

Oh yes now you mention it! I remember teeeeeerrrrible constipation - I was reduced to Lleyton Hewettesque C'MONS in my first three months.

[jessgray]

i took iron tablets in both pregnancies
with ds1 i took the fero-grad c ones once a day then after he was born i took 2 a day coz i lost a bit of blood and had to take them for 3 months.
with ds2 i took ferro-grad ones with folate in them and vitamin c and vitamin b12 from 30 weeks onwards.
i never got constipated but it did change the colour of my poo (TMI):laughing:

[FourAngelKisses]

I've taken both FGF and Ferrogradumet (not at the same time) and never had any problems.

[Beany]

Ferro-gradument before during and after.

[OscarTheGrouch]

Floradix organic iron supplement has definately been the best of any iron supplement I've tried.:thumbsup:

[FourAngelKisses]

Floradix organic iron supplement has definately been the best of any iron supplement I've tried.:thumbsup:

Where can you get it and how much does it cost?

[OscarTheGrouch]

Where can you get it and how much does it cost?
I paid about $20 for the 250ml. The 500ml is about $30. You can get it at health food shops and vitamin shops and probably pharmacies. It's well worth the money. My iron and Hb levels throughout my pg were fantastic, never had any problems.

[FourAngelKisses]

Ta :)

[manxgirl77]

Good info, thanks very much girls!:thumbsup:

[SMBT]

i used fefol in my first pregnancy and was fine, just had to drink with orange juice, to break down and in my second u used ferro something with vitamin c tablets. they were both fine

[Sam_K]

i was very low on iron throughout my whole pregnancy because im anaemic and it just continued to drop every month as it does natually as the baby begins to demand more making me feel rather lathargic and depressed (which is also associated with it).

i tried to take supplements (2 Fefol/day) throughout but found it hard cos it would make me nauseous. so in my 7th month my obstetrician gave me the option of either having a IV drip of iron on a monthly basis at a hosptal or having weekly injections (which i chose). it has been alot better, i feel like i have more energy, the only time i have felt nauseous is once after the injections, and my dr has seen a good increase in my levels. the only downer is that it can cause staining, where u have been injected meaning u can be left with a small bruise like mark, but seeing they are administered on ur buttock im not concerned. the mark stays for about a year.

supplements are great if you prefer taking things orally - but make sure u take orange juice with it (as vitamin C helps wth absorption of iron) and eat plenty of fibre to help with the constipation. fefol is quite a big dose so depending on how low u are u might be prescribed with a lower dose such as ferrograde C.

hope that helps. :)

[Seekrit]

I took fefol and experienced constipation too... I think it happens when you introduce a higher dose of iron than normal.

I just learnt to take a book with me to the loo, sit and wait..

Oh, and pear juice.

[subaruforestermum]

I took fe-fol. An iron and folate supplement.

This is what I took during my pregnancy, and didnt get constipation......

I drank lots of OJ to help with absorbtion of the Iron......

(I still should be on them as my iron levels are very low, but they have always made me feel nauseous too.....)

[manxgirl77]

A quick update, my obs recommended FeFol, so I went with that. I feel much, much better, back to normal. I haven't suffered constipation yet, but I eats heaps of fruit and veges so I guess that helps. I'm drinking up to 500ml of dark grape juice a day for vitamin C. :thumbsup:

[ej_1974]

I took Elevit on recommendation from my gp who said it was the best pg vitamin on the market - it's also the only one proven to reduce the risk of birth defects so it's just making me that little bit more secure. I never had any problems with constipation... I'm taking it this time too. I just love it... makes me feel like i'm doing the very best thing i can for my babies. i have great iron levels now. i took it when bf too and was energetic and healthy the whole time. :)