Ferritin levels please help

[Numsky]

I'm a 45 yr old female. My ferritin levels are 233ug/l (range 12-300) but is this too high? I have real health anxiety and someone said this was 'sky high' which put the fear of God into me. Please can someone reassure me. Thankyou!!!

[Numsky]

Ps I don't necessarily have a thyroid issue, I've not been diagnosed with one

[puncturedbicycle]

Well I'm not a doctor but it is well within range and well clear of either end of the scale. Have you been supplementing or is this result on its own without any supplements? Who told you it was sky high and what was their reasoning?

[Numsky in reply to puncturedbicycle]

I haven't been supplementing ferritin. But recently begun b12 injections and folate supplements as I had low b13 levels. The person who said this was someone Ina b12 forum, apparently the optimum range for a woman being 70-90. I've also got confused with the measurements. 233Ug/l .someone told me that that converted to 0.23 ng/ml but that makes no sense if the normal range is (12-300ug/l) as the highest 300 would be 0.30. I'm aware that doctors ranges don't always indicate optimum health levels

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Numsky]

I wouldn't bother w converting the measurements. Why not ask that person what their reference range is? If you say your body temperature is 98.6 and someone pops up and says 'Omg, you are boiling up, you must be dead!' when they are using C and you are using F, it doesn't mean there is a problem, it means the gauges are different.

Lab ranges are just that and they don't indicate where is the best (optimal) place to be in the range, but being that you aren't at either end of the range, not even close, I see no reason to worry.

Do you have any symptoms of iron overload? nhs.uk/conditions/haemochro...

As far as I'm aware the treatment is just giving blood, so if you did have it (you don't, your bloods are in range) that would be an easy fix.

How do you usually deal w your health anxiety?

[sherred in reply to Numsky]

Can you donate blood ,if you can try it see if your feel better ,it's the only solution too much iron can be dangerous it's called heamochromotosis .good luck

[humanbean]

My ferritin levels are 233ug/l (range 12-300) but is this too high?

Your result is three quarters of the way through the reference range, which is hardly "sky-high".

Whether or not a result is sky-high or not depends on the reference range, and the ranges differ from lab to lab.

One of the common reference ranges for ferritin is 13 - 150. If your result had been 233 with this reference range then your result would have been too high, but it isn't, so you are okay.

I would suggest that you don't take any supplements with iron in because you don't need it.

Another thing to take into account is that the body stores ferritin when there is inflammation in the body. Inflammation is common and can occur in all sorts of places e.g. joints/muscles, gut, lungs.

[Numsky in reply to humanbean]

Thankyou for reply But if that 13-150 range is a better indicator of good health I am over that. I'm concerned then what that inflammation may be. 2 years ago my ferritin was 133, so it has increased by 100 in 2 years does that seem right. How much does iron levels fluctuate I wonder too?

[humanbean in reply to Numsky]

No, the reference range of 13 - 150 is no more an indicator of good health than the 12 - 300 reference range is. It is just an indicator that different labs have different reference ranges.

If you could do a perfect experiment, get a large sample of blood taken, then divide it and send half to one lab and half to another lab with a different reference range...

If your result was half way through the range at one lab it would also be halfway through the range at the other lab. The results would be equivalent even though the numbers would be different.

[humanbean in reply to Numsky]

2 years ago my ferritin was 133, so it has increased by 100 in 2 years does that seem right. How much does iron levels fluctuate I wonder too?

Without a reference range for that ferritin level of 133 nobody can say anything about it at all.

[Numsky in reply to humanbean]

Same reference range

[Numsky]

Because my doctor won't do anything as it's within the range I'm stuck to know what to do or how to know what the inflammation may be? Should I be unduly worried? I'm wondering about taking turmeric perhaps to reduce inflammation

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Numsky]

No, you should not be unduly worried. You are unduly worried.

Yes, by all means, address inflammation w turmeric, a gf diet, selenium etc but also keep in mind this blood test is just a snapshot of one moment in time. The source of inflammation, if that is what has contributed to raising your iron, may be temporary (eg infection).

The only thing your doctor could do about it would be to take blood, and that would only be appropriate if your levels were over the range.

Stress is also a contributor to inflammation. Think about how to reduce your health anxiety. It will not help you stay well.

[Numsky in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Bless you and thankyou. I am unduly worried you're right and you're absolutely right that I need to address my stress levels. Stepping away from researching on google 😀 Xx

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Numsky]

We all do it! It is very easy to do, esp when you don't feel well. Hard to find the balance between being well-informed and preoccupied/anxious. Good luck. x

[Numsky]

Thankyou