Re: Ferritin level for pregnancy or Trying to conceive

Are you actually having difficulty conceiving, or are you concerned with having enough iron stores to ensure a healthy pregnancy?
There's some evidence that ferritin levels less than 40 can contribute to infertility. Therefore, if you're having trouble conceiving, it may be worth trying to get them up to 40, even though your values have been within normal range.

The dose you're taking amounts to 65mg of elemental iron per day. Are you anemic? If not, why such a high dose? As you take in more iron, absorption decreases (and the body regulates iron absorption according to need). Vitamin C can increase absorption somewhat. If you're taking a lot of iron (and actually want to absorb a lot of it!), you're better off taking small doses several times a day than one large dose.

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