How low is 10.6 iron level?

I went to give blood today, and they wouldn't let me because my iron level was 10.6. I have doanted sucessfully in the past (they called me, due to a shortage.) I have also had low iron in the past-- years ago I was on the pill, and the doctor gave me one that had iron pills instead of sugar pills for week 4. Could my iron level be low because I'm due to get my period this week? Also, how can I raise my iron levels w/out eating red meat? I am mostly vegetarian, was for many years, and now I eat meat on Shabbat, but usu chicken. The technicians at the bloodmobile told me that I have to eat red meat every day for a month!

According to webmd.com, a normal iron level is 11鈥?9 碌mol/L for women, meaning you're just barely under the cutoff. That might explain why they let you donate blood last time. You might have been barely over the limit back then.

Yes, women generally have a lower iron level than men
because they menstruate. Though the levels should be especially low during menstruation when you're losing blood, not before. This should be especially bad if you have a very strong period.

Unfortunately, iron from animal sources is a lot easier for your body to absorb than iron out of vegetables, so you being a vegetarian won't help much to raise your levels. Seafood has quite a bit of iron in it as well, if you prefer that to red meat, and chicken isn't that bad. In the worst case, you might have to take iron pills again to get your blood levels up.

There's a list of iron rich foods on this site, so you can check whether there's anything on there that you like. I bet you can make up for not eating red meat by making an effort to eat more iron in vegetable form.

http://www.mcgill.ca/studenthealth/infor...

yeah that iron level is somewhat low. my doctor told me that around 15 is normal. there are iron suppliments you can take if you talk to your doctor or a nutritionist. there are definatly ways to gain iron instead of eating red meat. i had extremly low iron count because of internal bleeding and i took suppliments a nutritionist gave me and in about 2 weeks i was up 7 points.

Tags

　　Jet Lag 　　Jaundice 　　Itching 　　Irritable Bowel Syndrome 　　Irregular Heartbeat 　　Iron 　　Intestinal Diseases 　　Intestinal Cancer 　　Intensive Care 　　Insulin Resistance 　　Insomnia 　　Insecticides

Related information

Cast iron increases heamoglobin level but....?

Preseasoned just means you don't have to season it with oil. Preseasoned is fine. If there is some kind of coating, it could block iron from leeching into food which is what you want. That ...

Low iron, what are the side effects?

Sounds like anemia...Have you seen a doctor? Doesn't sound healthy what you have. There could be underlying problems that need to be diagnosed immediately.

...

Low Iron in your Bloodstream?

Hmm I would definitely get a second opinion and a full blood count done as soon as possible. This is a vital test that will point to any further investigations needed. Iron is locked up in red ...

Low iron...?

The causes of iron deficiency are too little iron in the diet, poor absorption of iron by the body, and loss of blood (including from heavy menstrual bleeding). It can also be related to lead poiso...

Anemia / Iron deficiency problem?

You could start taking over the counter iron but iron is toxic and not water soluable. If anemia isn't your problem, you would be doing yourself harm by taking the iron. Having been anemic, ...

IS IRON BAD FOR YOU?

No iron is not bad for you the only down fall is it tends to cause constipation. Just make sure your drinking 8 glasses of water a day and you should be fine.

...

Iron squeeze and Iron Squeeze and Diamond Hands Exercises?

I dont personally but search for it on google videos they have everything there

...

Does calcuim block ALL iron absortion?

Not all iron will be blocked by the calcium in your food. Actually, it would only happen if you were taking calcium supplements with your meals.But even then, you might need extra iron... A low ...