Some of you may be wondering why on earth I have brought up the topic of Anemia, it has nothing to do with ITP, or does it?
Before I start to put the link together, let us go over what Anemia is.
Anemia is a blood disorder where a person does not have enough red blood cells or a person is low in hemoglobin (a protein that is an important part of the red blood cell). Red blood cells are made in your bone marrow and their job is to move oxygen around the body. So, every time you take a breathe of oxygen your red blood cells carry that oxygen around the body.
Signs of Anemia include looking pale, moody, dizzy, shortness of breath, faster heartbeat, yellow urine, weakness, and jaundice.
The reason for one having Anemia is the body does not generate enough red blood cells, too many red blood cells are being destroyed, too many red blood cells have been lost (from excessive bleeding) and not enough iron.
Now one's body’s own immune system can also destroy the red blood cells similar to how the body’s immune system destroys its own platelets. However, if you have had a blood test the doctor should be able to rule out anemia on top of your ITP condition. Nonetheless, excessive blood loss (such a heavy menstrual flow) can cause anemia.
This is where female ITP patients need to be wary. Anemia has the ability to sneak up, therefore, you may not even notice that Anemia has crept in and you may confuse the symptoms of fatigue that you relate with ITP with a similar symptom of Anemia. A heavy menstrual flow can make you more prone to iron deficiency anemia.
Now whilst not all female ITP patients experience heavy menstrual flow, others do and need to monitor their flow to help ensure that they can prevent iron deficiency anemia. To learn more about how you can monitor your menstrual flow check out this blog post.
Keeping up a good source of iron and reducing one's heavy menstrual flow will help. However, it is always important to discuss these topics with your doctor to decide the best course of action, if required.
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