MTHFR --- Direction, Where to start

[capsgirl08]

I know this has been discussed a lot on this board and you all have been uncovering a lot. It just seemed beyond anything I could absorb at the time when my son was an infant and I was still in the stopping-eczema and vomiting and diarrhea phase. (Which we still go through sometimes...)

Anyway, now I am looking into whether I may have MTHFR but I don't know where to start without getting overwhelmed. I was hoping to find help from someone about that. The threads are great, but I am getting lost...

Just dealt with a loss recently and am realizing I have a lot of health issues in my family that may be pointing to MTHFR.

Ok, thanks so much, as always!

[expatmommy]

I'm sorry for your recent loss.

When I thought I might test positive for MTHFR last year, the first things I did was start a mega dose of folic acid, B6 & B12. I also printed out a list of all the food that naturally had these things & tried to eat multiple servings of these foods in a day. I also tried to drink red grape juice every day. Because it is a blood clotting issue, I realized that I needed to start doing regular exercise to improve blood flow. I didn't end up testing positive for it, but saw a dramatic improvement in my homocysteine levels after doing these things.

[mom61508]

Originally Posted by expatmommy

I'm sorry for your recent loss.

When I thought I might test positive for MTHFR last year, the first things I did was start a mega dose of folic acid, B6 & B12. I also printed out a list of all the food that naturally had these things & tried to eat multiple servings of these foods in a day. I also tried to drink red grape juice every day. Because it is a blood clotting issue, I realized that I needed to start doing regular exercise to improve blood flow. I didn't end up testing positive for it, but saw a dramatic improvement in my homocysteine levels after doing these things.

Don't you need folate though instead of folic acid?

[pianojazzgirl]

I'm sorry for your loss mama.

I don't ever hang here in the allergies forum, but I saw your thread come up as a new thread and decided to read it because I am homozygous for an MTHFR genetic variant.

First of all have you talked to your dr about it? I'm not sure how easy it is to get tested. For me it happened in an attempt to discover the reasons behind my miscarriages. If you didn't have someone willing to send you for testing would you be able to at least get a test of your B12 and folate levels? And/or homocysteine? That might be a start in figuring things out.

And, to answer your question, yes, for a lot of people with the MTHFR genetic variant it's necessary to take folate instead of folic acid. You could look into taking a B multi by Thorne (I know they make one with methyl folate).

Another thing you might want to do a little reading about (ie. internet searching) is "undermethylation" and "overmethylation" to see if any symptoms ring any bells with you.

ETA re. the blood clotting I take fish oil daily to help keep the old blood a bit thinner. There are other natural blood thinners too (garlic, vit E, etc). I would feel safe in taking fish oil as a preventative even if I didn't know I had a blood-clotting disorder. There aren't too many instances in which it's counter-indicated.

[rhesp1212]

I, too, am very sorry for your loss. I have the MTHFR gene mutation! It's a simple genetic blood test as far as the testing goes. The treatment for it is, like the previous poster said, high doses of folic acid (folate), b6 and B12. I took a combination pill called Folgard (prescription strength) that you can also buy over the counter online, you just have to take double or triple the amount of it. Also, during pregnancy you would need to be on baby aspirin or possibly a stronger anti-clotting agent depending on if you are heterozygous or homozygous. The way I understand it is that with the MTHFR mutation your body does not get rid of clots like it normally would, it can also effect how you metabolize amino acids.

I recently had my son tested for it because he has so many intolerances and couldn't tolerate anything with a high protein amount. His test was negative though, he did not have the gene mutation. '

Hope that helps a little bit!
Valerie

[capsgirl08]

Thank you so much, mamas. You've given me a place to start for myself and at least a basic knowledge of what to first bring up at my follow-up appointment in a few days. Just hoping to find answers so I can go from there. Thank you, again!

[capsgirl08]

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posted in wrong spot, sorry!