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.

Losing out on zzzz's

I'm trying to figure out why in the last several weeks I've had trouble sleeping early. I do know that sometime in the past, this has already happened to me. I can't quite remember what triggered it the first time and why it seems to be happening again now.

So I read up on insomnia. Because it's useless to deny that I am part insomniac. I can't sleep earlier than 1 am, sometimes even when I'm dead tired. Often I finally shut off much later than 1 am.

Could be hormones. My menstrual cycle has been a cause of some worry because it's not as regular as it should be. At the time I expect my monthly period, it'll start but not run the full course, which is usually 5 days. Well, it says that hormones, especially when it precedes the menstrual period might cause insomnia. So that's something to consider.

Stress. I've been under a lot of it in the last couple of weeks. Even during times when I thought my life was stress-free it probably wasn't. But there have been a lot of things to worry about in the past couple of months (and I have the white hairs to prove it!) so it must be contributing to the restlessness I feel, which results in my not getting sleep when I need it.

Or it could be that my mind and imagination, prone to over-activity, is acting up. It refuses to shut down even when I am so tired, ergo, I can't sleep. I can't even set my alarm for some early morning appointment because I usually end up waking every hour waiting for the alarm to sound off!

And finally, there is the internet which keeps me so hooked that it must be raising my mental alertness more than necessary, preventing me from resting for the day.

I need to work out a plan to combat this disorder, because having a history of anemia, insomnia is definitely not good for me.