Iron and Folic Acid

My doctor has had to induce my menstruation by prescribing progesterone pills. This after ultrasound results showed a thick lining on my ovary as a result of the irregular periods I’ve had in the past two or three months. She said that after taking the pills for 5 days, the menstruation should come within the next two weeks and warned that the first day I was to expect very heavy bleeding.

True enough on the sixth day, it came. I was expecting heavy bleeding but it was no more heavier than usual. Until the fifth day when it came gushing and I’ve had to use more pads than normal. It’s gone on for two more days and I do feel kind of weak. The doctor also told me to take my iron pills with folic acid because I had to counteract the blood loss.

I know the importance of iron intake, especially for women because studies show most women hardly get the recommended dose of iron daily. This is dangerous considering we shed blood monthly through menstruation. Iron is an important nutrient to replenish healthy red blood cells that aids in the transport of oxygen. That’s why during bouts of anemia in the past, I’ve had difficulty breathing after shedding what must have been buckets of blood, that eventually required blood transfusion.

Now what I did not know is that Vitamin C helps boost iron absorption in the body. Good thing I am very religious in chewing Vitamin C capsules, not because I was aware of this relation, but more to protect me from contracting coughs and colds. So now I know…

I’ve always wondered about folic acid or folate and why I need it when I am nowhere near getting pregnant. Folate, it turns out, is necessary for the production of new cells, which include red blood cells, which I have been losing since this period started. Lack of folate limits cell division, and the production of red blood cells, resulting in megaloblastic anemia, characterized by large, immature RBCs. Needless to say, immature RBCs don’t do any good when released to the marrow to cover up for anemia.

As previously mentioned in an earlier post, my sleeping habits is also a source of concern especially at a time like this. I need to sleep early to aid my body in regenerating cells. And I need to keep popping my iron with folate pills.