Are you taking chlorella? If so, how's your iron and RBC count?

[Dot-to-Dot]

I've been taking chlorella since week 18, slowly increasing the dose to 8 pills a day.  (I'm currently 29 weeks).  I would have been doing it from the beginning but my morning sickness was borderline hyperemesis gravidarum and I couldn't keep anything down.

My blood tests came back and my red blood cells are down and I'm anemic.  I'm disappointed and wondering if the chlorella isn't really doing anything for me.  :(  Am I wasting my money?  I get them from mercola.com and I think it's a trusted source. 

Anyone have any experience or input?

[Abraisme]

I have been taking chlorella for years, but it never occurred to me to take it for iron.  While there is some iron in it, it's main purpose is to remove heavy metals from your body and detoxify.  I'm not sure that I would have recommended starting it while pregnant, as I've known a couple of people who had nasty detox symptoms (even starting off with 1-2 pills a day). 

I take roughly 15 pills a day and have never noted a change in my iron levels.

[Dot-to-Dot]

Well, I'd recently read something about the way in which the metals are excreted when using chlorella specifically and how it's perfectly safe for doing so while pregnant.  Plus, I was encouraged that it's in all sorts of prenatal vitamins (granted at low doses).  But I should have said that I've been taking it for years and years, too.  I just didn't during the first trimester since I was so sick.  So I don't think it was any sort of detox shock to my body.

I'd read about how it was such an amazing blood builder and should help your body absorb, or maybe maintain at least, it's iron level???  Not sure.  I've just always heard it's so great for the blood and then my RBC comes back looking tired.  I orginally started it years ago for bowel issues and had since read so many wonderful things about it that I decided to keep it a part of my supplement schedule.