Fertility anyone? Had anyone had their fertility affected by a b12 deficiency, been trying for years, gone through all the MOT testing and your both fine and they leaves you still with no answers….. your youngest at the time would be 4 ….who might I add was conceived on the coil!! (Just to add Insult to injury) fast forward 7 years, you find out you have b12 deficiency, you read all about it’s evils and importants and that word ‘infertility’ smacks you in the kisser …..
would I be right is thinking that now after all that time gone by with the unknown deficiency and the irreversible damage it will have caused that although I am in receipt of some b12 I will stay infertile at 36?
Please say what you think, I am not a woman on the edge here like an emotional train wreck…. I have been through all of that years ago, I reckon I have more odds on winning the lottery.
Thanks for reading.
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Lollipops35
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I remember reading in one of our Chairman’s (, Martyn Hooper)!books about Pernicious Anaemia, of a lady doctor who could not get pregnant because of B12 deficiency /,PA but who did have a baby after treatment with B 12 injections . I think i read about it in his first book . Are you having regular B12 injections ? You are relatively young Lollipops35 i think that you should not give up yet . Very best wishes .
I'm just wondering if you've ever had your thyroid function tested. The reason I ask is that many people with PA/B12 deficiency also have thyroid problems as well.
It may not be relevant to you but there is well documented link between this and fertility/pregnancy issues.
I've added a link to a page on the Thyroid UK charity website showing information about getting pregnant & pregnancy. There is also a Thyroid UK forum here on Health Unlocked where you'll find lots of posts/question relating to pregnancy.
Thanks all for your comments, I would like to add I am only having the NHS’s measly 3monthly injections…. Possibly with more b12? There maybe be a chance….
My doc said after 35 your fertility literally falls off a cliff so I kind of mentally came to terms with the fact I’ve missed the window….
Singledout- I have had my thyroid function tested a few times over the years, it’s never been flagged up so I’m guessing all good… thank you for the info and link though, these things are still good to know for others too!!!
Nackapan- I am a non-smoker I don’t drink, not overweight, very healthy only the deficiency of b12 which I suspect is what has been my body’s problem over the years, they diagnosed fibromyalgia which I think is wrong …..
i I used to be near athlete material which is what grieves me because with b12 deficiency it’s what it robs you of, your health and wellbeing and I am living proof your fertility also, if I can become pregnant and have a healthy term baby while I had the coil and somewhere between having that baby and 5 years become deficient enough to become really ill, be diagnosed with fibromyalgia and then discover for some reason unknown to me at the time we could’nt then get pregnant….. it’s only now I have discovered the b12 deficiency (1year ago) knowing the infertility it brings with it it all makes sense.
Surely after all these years there must must some permanent damage 😔 despite the b12 now being administered. Even though the nhs guidelines are severely overlooked and ignored.
You will know from reading posts on this forum , they you cannot overdose on B12 , So why not start self-injecting , like most of us do? YOU CAN DO NO HARM .
Never assume because your thyroid results were not flagged that all is well. Try to obtain print outs of your results with ranges to see what was actually tested. Surgeries should allow patient access to on-line results - so worth asking. The results are legally yours
The NHS rarely carry out the correct testing so the thyroid condition is so often missed. I have been a member of Thyroid UK here on HU since 2011 and have gained so much knowledge from those who know more than me !
Doctors often say all is OK/Normal/Fine when results are in range - BUT it is where you are in the range that is key. Happy to help.
If you wish to check me out you can click onto my username above and check my Profile 🤔
Folate deficiency is also very common in People with PA. Its vital for baby's development and some studies relate it to fertility issues.Once your levels are restored everything else will eventually get back in order. We are used to read users in this forum with severe neurological damage reporting great improvements after b12 jabs. Why wouldn't it happen to you? Keep your good work and relax. You will be a mama soon! ((Hugs))
If it’s any help my daughter got married at 36 and had a miscarriage soon after. Went into lockdown and developed severe depression and anxiety. So I asked her to get her B12 checked. Came back both folate and B12 low. She then went onto B12 injections and folic acid supplements. Had another miscarriage. She is now expecting in April everything appears to be going well.
I have been infertile and only later found out about all the underlying health problems I had (autoimmune) Hashimoto's , b12 deficiency and a few others. I had always had problems with extremely heavy and long duration periods and recently read about Inositol being used for metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and other woman's problems. There is not a lot of scientific evidence for some of it's uses but there are testimonials of woman who have had success after using it , it is a vitamin like carbohydrate substance so it naturally found in the body so is worth researching , on the amazon site many woman have supplemented with it and have reviewed it. I wish you well and hope one day you will be successful.. I never did have my own biological children however got a lot of joy and satisfaction from fostering children.
I think fertility issues are mentioned in these books below.
B12 books I found useful
"What You Need to Know About Pernicious Anaemia and B12 Deficiency" by Martyn Hooper
Martyn Hooper is the chair of PAS (Pernicious Anaemia Society).
BNF treatment info in book is out of date. See BNF hydroxocobalamin link in my other reply.
"Living with Pernicious Anaemia and Vitamin B12 Deficiency" by Martyn Hooper
Has several case studies.
"Could it Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses" by Sally Pacholok and JJ. Stuart (US authors)
Very comprehensive with lots of case studies.
"Vitamin B12 deficiency in Clinical Practice" (subtitle "Doctor, you gave me my life back!" by Dr Joseph Alexander "Chandy" Kayyalackakom and Hugo Minney PhD
Copies of some of these books may be available from your local library service in UK.
I came across a few articles that suggested Vitamin D levels could have an effect on fertility.
Wow, great body. 35 is not old to be having your 2nd child. I am sorry you are having issues conceiving. Vitamin B12 deficiency impacts on everything unfortunately. This every 3 month injection is simply not enough for many of us. Many of our symptoms are reversible.
I can’t comment on my own fertility - I couldn’t even have periods because they would make me so physically ill. (So long term contraception to stop them).
Several members have also commented about thyroid function. I’m currently reading Datis Kharrizhan’s book, ‘Why do I still have thyroid symptoms when my laboratory results are normal ?’ It’s a bit like vitamin B12 deficiency, they have to be pretty low before the laboratory flag them.
Hi lovely so very tired atm so I’ll try my best here…. I have been tested for coeliac not long ago…. Also I am having the PA bloods drawn on the 13th dec so we’ll see what that brings…. I read the criteria list and I am not taking diabetes medication, PPI medication, I have not had any stomach operations and I am not vegan, I am very healthy and ‘normal’ I have a great diet too so not lacking in any areas… My vitamin D was flagged low a few months back ( don’t know the numbers) but that was rectified, my iron was very low this time last year (number was 7) but again that’s now been rectified and I’m still on that intermittently…. The b 12 was 124 .
My gp very ignorant to my symptoms, he knows but has just referred me to the neurologist even though I have repeatedly told him about the mechanics of b12 and that what we are given is not even anyway, he like many others do not want to listen.
I think lasting damage may have occurred but who’s to know as I had a c- section with the last baby and the damage could have been caused then, they would not own your though! I had a private test done where they push dye through your tubes to test the patentcy of them and on the scan it show the dye moving freely out of one side but on the other my ovary looks to have died…. It is dark and a lot smaller than the other… this was done 6 years ago now so I was 29/30 ….. the specialist said it would many affect at ability to get pregnant, it just takes a little longer, he said it’s what your given two of everything.
I'll just add, if your homocysteine levels are too high because you don't have enough B12 to break it down, you won't get pregnant or will miscarry.
Like you, we had all the tests (except for B12) and all came back OK.
I didn't ever get pregnant but I didn't get my B12 deficiency diagnosed until I was mid 40's and, having been deficient for so long (I'd had symptoms for more than a couple of decades), my body was too badly damaged by then and it's taken several years to get back to reasonably good.
There are lots of people on here and other groups who say about pregnancies with treated B12d so I suggest you....
Get enough B12 and supporting supplements, especially folate, but everything else to compliment an excellent diet too, and get your potassium, magnesium, iron and vitamin D levels checked.... And then go for it!
I am so sorry for your struggles. I am 36 years old and pregnant with my second child. My first is 5 years old. I feel strongly my b12 has been low for a long time but I think after the birth of my son my level fell significantly. I can’t say that b12 directly effected my fertility because I was so ill I could of even think about trying to conceive a second child. It took a good 2 years of injections almost weekly to get my bash back on track. Pregnancy has come with its struggles and I do feel my Symptoms have crept back up a bit due to my body working hard to pump extra blood and nourish any baby.
Here is my suggestion to you. Stay positive!! Our bodies are amazing and can heal from unimaginable things. You need more frequent injections. At the very least monthly but that was no where near enough for me. It may work and it may not but it is worth a try. Your B12 level was very low. I would think, if anything, the injections will make you feel better
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