Ferritin, iron, B12, and folate

[YulianaRossenova]

Hi all,

Currently I am supplementing with B12, little folate.

My folate was low normal, B12 - low normal, almost mid-range. Iron - mid-range (however it is high normal, I gave blood 4 months postpartum). My ferritin was only 13 (10-104) - also 4 months postpartum.

Had never tested folate, ferritin and B12 before this pregnancy.

Can ferritin be so low due to the recent pregnancy and birth?

I started pregnancy with a high normal iron level. Supplementing folate made my iron go top range. When I started B12 injections my iron fell down and got so low that almost went below range.

So folate increased my serum iron. B12 injections decreased it.

How about ferritin?

Also I started supplementing little iron as of Monday. Friday I am going to give blood to check thyroid levels. Can I test ferritin as well?

Yuliana

[Foggyme Administrator]

Hi Yuliana.

Your GP can order blood tests for ferritin. However, if you are also having trouble with serum iron, it would be better to have a full iron panel (serum iron, transferrin and saturation) along with the ferritin (iron in the blood is different from ferritin (a protein that binds iron for absorption in the body). It's possible to have a high ferritin but low serum iron and vice versa.

It might also be a good idea to check your folate levels if you have been supplementing. Sometimes it's quite difficult to balance because whilst you need good levels so that your B12 can be processed effectively, too much folate can be as bad as to little.

👍