Does anyone know anything about iron, ferritin, folate and b12 levels?

[Amber83]

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently had private blood tests to investigate feeling unwell and extreme fatigue. Luckily my thyroid seems okay (sorry to post on here but everyone seems so knowledgeable).

So....from the tests I seem to have

Iron levels - in higher level of range

Transferring saturation - slightly raised

B12 - low side of range / levels gone down to half what they were 6 months ago

Folate - low range

I don’t understands much about all these different levels and what they mean, can anyone help?

[Cooper27]

Do you have the exact numbers and ranges at all? People can better advise if you have them.

I know that ideally you want all of them to be in the upper third of the range.

[greygoose]

If you post all your blood test results and ranges - thyroid tests, too - we might be able to advise you. Just saying 'high', 'low', etc. doesn't give us enough information to work on.

[Amber83]

Iron 33.06 umol/L (5.80 - 34.50)

T.I.B.C 57.86 umol/L. (45.00 - 72.00)

Transferrin saturation *57.14 (20.00 - 50.00)

Ferritin 62.5 ug/L (13:00 - 150.00)

Active b12 59.800pmol (37.50 - 188.00)B12 was 110.00 6 months ago

Serum folate 9.2ug/L ( 3.89 - 26.80)

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Amber83]

Active B12 under 70 is considered low

Previous B12 of 110 .....was this active B12 or standard B12. If standard B12 that's extremely low

Ferritin is on low side too, eating liver or liver pate once a week should help improve

No vitamin D test?

Do you have thyroid problem too?

[Amber83 in reply to SlowDragon]

Previous B12 of 110 was active B12. Vitamin at recent GP test was 96 after supplements so good there.

I noticed my iron almost at top range so assuming my ferritin would be okay? I thought iron, ferritin, folate were all to do with iron? But my folate and b12 lower range, I’m confused by it all. I’ve been trying to find out why I feel so terrible all the time for a long time now and becoming desperate to just feel well ☹️

No thyroid problem from November test. I only posted on here as I noticed lots of people on here seem to have a lot of insight to various hormones, vitamins etc xx

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Amber83]

Folate and B12 are both members of B vitamins and work together

Low vitamin D can affect B vitamins, so important to test this. Obviously low vitamin D is a widespread problem these days (current obsession with sunscreen etc)

drgominak.com/vitamin-d/

vitamindtest.org.uk

So are you supplementing B12 or a good quality daily vitamin B complex? One with folate in not folic acid

Once you start supplementing any B12 or B complex a B12 test is rather irrelevant

It takes 3-4 months off of all B vitamin supplements for levels to fall to true base level

Lots of things can affect vitamin levels.

We are what our gut can absorb, not what we eat

Low stomach acid, gluten intolerance, Crohn's, etc etc

drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/hypochl...

scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/3-...

Have you had Thyroid antibodies tested as well as TSH, FT3 and FT4

[Hidden in reply to SlowDragon]

Omg my ferritin is at 5 and I see your telling her her ferritin is low

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Suggest you put up a post of your own with recent test results

Thyroid- TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG Thyroid antibodies

Ferritin is absolutely dire

GP should do full iron panel - have they?

Likely to need iron infusion or ferrous fumerate supplements 2 or 3 per day

Important to test vitamin D. Folate and B12

Always get actual results and ranges

[Amber83]

Ive recently had full thyroid test through medichecks. Antibodies, ft3, ft4 etc all seem in good range.

I had vitamin d test in November and was 96.

I’m not currently taking a b complex.

I’ve had colonoscopy and endoscopy in the last 2 weeks as inflammation was found in stool test but bowel okay and other than a small amount of erosion my stomach seems okay.

I seem to be able to absorb iron but yet folate and b12 have fallen a lot. X

[MariLiz]

Us thyroid folk are very susceptible to having problems with low B12, and we need folate to absorb what B12 we do have.

If our levels are low it means we don’t get the benefit from our thyroid meds either.

If you supplement B12 and folate but don’t feel any better, it may be you will need B12 injections. A further blood test will help to diagnose that you aren’t absorbing the supplements if your levels are still low.