Hello doctor,I have been suffering from anemia for over 12 years now. I am very sure that within this time frame, my hemoglobin level has never been higher than 10 g/dL. Recently, my hemoglobin was at 7.1 g/dL. I have seen many doctors and have informed them of a family history of a kidney disease, even though my RFT are always within range. All the doctors claim that the reason for my chronic anemia is due to my menstrual period. I do have a heavy menstrual cycle lasting anywhere between five to seven days, but in all honesty, it has never been a cause for concern. I have begun seeing a new hematologist since last year, and according to my lab results, it seems that I have a condition called alpha thalassemia in association with microcytosis. I also learned that I have abnormally shaped RBCs, called as poikilocytosis and the list definitely goes on. I do not want to self-diagnose, but my theory is that there is an underlying issue. When I mention that to the doctors they do not want to think on those lines and try to convince me that it is due to my menstruation. I have a normal month and a heavier month, but it has never been a cause for concern. In looking at my recent blood work, which is not too different from my previous lab results throughout the years, I noticed that my reticulocytes percent is 1.3 %, but my absolute is within the range. I have 2 % saturation, ferritin is at 2 %, iron binding is high at 489 mcg/dL. BUN, and creatinine are fine. Platelets are abnormally high at 716 Thousand/uL. WBCs are all normal. So, my question is, should I worry about my bone marrow, my kidneys or could this truly just be my menstrual cycle?
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