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One of the most common and disturbing endometriosis symptoms is fatigue. There are a lot of possible causes for this one single effect, from oestrogen dominance and thyroid dysfunctions to our sleep schedule, stress level, pain level, adrenal dysfunctions or certain minerals and vitamins deficiencies.

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My experience with fatigue – a roller coaster with an unexpected solution

In the last 4-5 months I was tired almost all the time. First, I thought it was summer and its high temperatures, then, I believed my sleep schedule affected this (and it did, but not to that extend of feeling very tired almost all the time). Two months ago I had a major flare up due to a uterine polyp (I told you about this episode in this article together with my 6 recommendations to a better management of polyps) with terrible pains and, for a while, I thought that maybe those pains affected me with this tiredness too.

Fatigue could be related to thyroid cases but not my case here

Many of those I told them about this issue, including a friend doctor, advised me to check my thyroid. I have already done that in spring and my thyroid levels looked fine, except TSH which was a little bit lower. Yet, all other tests were fine so my doctor said she cannot give me any medicine as probably my body “fights” to control endometriosis and that’s why my TSH is a little bit lower. In fact, as far as I know, fatigue is a symptom for hypothyroidism, not hyperthyroidism. (P.S: Do not forget I keep an Endometriosis Journal. You can find all the articles here.)

Natural supplements for insomnia/sleep and 8 hours of sleep can help with fatigue – but they were not the solutions for me

It is, indeed, very important to sleep at least 8 hours every night, as much as possible between 11.00 p.m - 07.00 a.m.

I did not follow this schedule all the time, but yet, there were some weeks when I got asleep at 12.00 a.m and woke up at 8.00-8.30 a.m so I had 8 hours of sleep and still, my condition did not improve.

In the time I couldn’t go to sleep at 11:00 p.m, 12:00 a.m, I chose natural supplements too.That's how I discovered they do me more harm than good and I stopped taking them.

I tried melatonin which is kind of praised in endometriosis. The only thing it did for me was to make me even more dizzy and tired during the day.

The other natural supplement I tried was passiflora tincture (tincture from passionflower). This had some great effects on me several years ago, but not anymore. I felt as dizzy and tired as I felt after melatonin.

And then, I remembered the words of a pharmacist I once talked to: “small imbalances can cause serious effects”

This is what a pharmacist once told me when I asked her what the cause of my hair loss could be. She mentioned a calcium deficit, but I was just tested it and my level were normal. This was when she told me those words and she added that, for some people, even “low, but normal levels” could give disturbing symptoms.

As I don’t eat meat, I tested my iron level

With those words in mind, I asked myself what the imbalance might be. As I don’t eat meat, the most natural thing was to test my haemoglobin level together with a complete blood count. For iron, the “low limit” was 12 and my level was 11.3 so I had a minor iron deficiency. A not so bad level, many other people told me, especially I haven't eaten meat for several years (excepting holidays).

Besides severe fatigue, I mention here some other iron deficiency symptoms: pale skin, weakness, shortness of breath, cold hand and feet, inflammation or soreness of the tongue, brittle nails, headache, unusual cravings, poor appetite. From this list, I barely checked 2 or 3.

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At that time, fruits, vegetables and natural supplements high in iron were not a solution for me

Prior to this testing, I ate a diverse, high in natural iron foods diet. I also took a nettle tincture that helped to a certain extend but I felt it was enough. That’s why, when I found out about my iron deficiency, I realized I have to take allopathic treatment. Maybe I had a low iron level for too long, maybe I did not eat a balanced diet long enough, I don't know, but deciding to find some other solutions was the best decision for me, at that time.

What type of iron should I take to tolerate it?

I continued on this path and researched a lot about what type of iron should I take. I have a long, bad history with iron pills as I cannot tolerate them. Prior to my second endometriosis surgery, my doctor gave me some iron vials, but I felt sick 30 minutes after taking them. Other pills for iron deficiency constipated me so I research more and discovered a product that in Romania is called Sideral forte. I read reviews from people who said they had the same tolerance problem, but still, they sworn this product was different.

The Romanian girls can read about this product here, the other ones should know it contains vitamin C – 70 mg and sucrosomial iron – 30 mg. The sucrosomial iron is a new generation iron for improving oral supplementation. Here you can read more about it. The product does not contain gluten.

Therefore, my main concern was to tolerate the product, and afterwards to see if it works or not.

15 days of sucrosomial iron and no more fatigue days

Now,  have 15 days since I started the treatment for iron deficiency and I cannot explain you enough how well I am. I don’t always go to bed before midnight, I don’t always wake up after 8 o’clock in the morning, but I have not experienced that terrible fatigue anymore.

From my point of view, based on my blood levels and the way I am feeling, that low iron deficiency was to blame for my extreme tiredness.

Iron is better absorbed with vitamin C

I did take vitamin C before Sideral Forte treament, but I continued it after starting the iron treatment too as studies say iron is better absorbed when taken with vitamin C. I did that too so maybe it helped.

I am not saying that, if you are tired, you also have iron deficiency or anaemia. I just wanted to tell you more about my experience and maybe you will find it useful for you too. It can be about fatigue, hair loss, insomnia, cold feet etc. – the main idea is to take into account all the possibilities. Not just the main, severe ones, but also these small imbalances that could be to blame for a major symptom. Sometimes the solution is much closer than we think and sometimes adding fruits, vegetables or natural supplements is not enough anymore.

Marina Rasnoveanu

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