Hemochromatosis Support Group
Hemochromatosis is a hereditary disease characterized by improper processing by the body of dietary iron which causes iron to accumulate in a number of body tissues, eventually causing organ dysfunction. It is the main iron overload disorder. Hemochromatosis is notorious for having symptoms that are often initially misattributed to other diseases.
Does anyone have any information to share on fertility and pregnancy for woman with hemochromatosis?
I was just catching up on this forum when I noticed that nobody has replied to your post.
There is reference to the HH having implications for men and women because of the presence of iron in the pituitary or goads (see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1112815/). Sometimes the problem is reversed with treatment, but not always.
There is another reference to HH causing infertility if left untreated over time and for some people this is reduced with treatment (see http://livehealthy.chron.com/infertility-hemochromatosis-1129.html).
Regarding pregnancy, there is a source which states that phlebotomy should be deferred during pregnancy unless there are cardiac or hepatic issues (see http://patient.info/doctor/hereditary-haemochromatosis). There is a UK site that says the same thing (see http://haemochromatosis.org.uk/faqs2/).
Although I had some symptoms of HH when I was younger, it did not affect my fertility and I became pregnant easily and I felt very well when I was pregnant, likewise when breast-feeding and during my menstrual cycle.
Christine