Can anyone please advise what iron serum transferal is and why it's needed. In the last 3 years mine has steadily been dropping and it is now below normal range. During this time my thyroid has been unmanageable through medication. My period last for one day and I'm extremely fatigued. Also my scalp hair brows and eyelashes have been falling out.
I've asked my GP to treat this but they said there is no guidance under the NHS to treat serum serum transferral. They did however refer it the blood drs in the local hospital back in November but there is still no reply.
My ferritin is mid range normal my iron is low and I'm taking a supplement prescribed by my GP.
Recently started hrt and feel great but it's making the hair fall worse so I've stopped taking it.
I'm wonderinig if the serum transferal is the key to the problems I've been having.
One thing is for sure. As the transferral levels have been dropping my condition has got worse.
Thanks for reading.
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Karen154
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Hi,sorry but my NHS app won't let me log in (again lol) to check the correct test name. It was definitely serum tranferal in with my iron tests. Ferritin wasn't in the test name.
I can't help with transferral then, but transferrin is a protein that carries ferritin in the blood. When the body needs more hemoglobin and red blood cells, it signals cells to release ferritin, which is then transported by transferrin to make iron available for the production of hemoglobin and red blood cells. So it is definitely a result that you will find in your iron test results.
Low levels of transferrin typically reflect iron deficiency anemia, but may also be caused by coeliac disease, hypothyroidism, vitamin C deficiency .......
If it's not that, hopefully someone else can help.
Thank you. When they tested my iron Dr also did a full blood count and red white cells were all very good. But what you have said does fit even if it's not showing in the full blood count.
My iron was high range normal but dropped to nothing in the space of a few months when my stopped prescribing the supplement.
My ferritin is mid range normal now it was low normal. This has been happening to mme for years it doesn't seem to stop.
I forgot to mention that i have also had a scorching temperature in my hands while the serum transferal has been dropping. I believed I may developed hash's and I have been totally gluten and dairy free and have been following an anti inflammatory diet for months. The diet and the hrt seemed to stabilise the temperature but it hasn't stopped the hair falling out. Please don't say hash as an answer unless it's linked to other conditions as I've done all I can and due to the recent flare up of hair loss following hrt I don't think I have hash's. Also I did test negative for this.
Testing negative for Hashi's doesn't prove you don't have it.
Wondering too if an anti inflammatory diet makes you short of nutrients. What sort of diet is it exactly? If you are also gluten and dairy free that restricts your diet even more.
Hi, take vitamin B,D,C plus iron supplement. Also calcium. Temperature stabilised with the diet change. Keep on top with regular blood tests. Thyroid and iron is abnormal but everything is fine.
The estrogen in hrt has set the hair loss off again it's the same feeling as hash. Xx
The diet is basically fish, meat veg fruit, water orange juice lemon tea ect. Home made veg soup. I do eat eggs occasional cup of coffee with milk. I have to br careful as the iron needs to be absorded. Xx
push for that haematology consultant appointment. Have you had liver function test done recently or possibly copper? Transferrin is a protein which transports iron in the blood to the tissues in the body.
Thank you I give up with my dr's as it's been four that I've suffered like this. I have to look everything and tell them and some of them get snotty with me.
The NHS had never tested for coppery ,may not be available to test in the UK as so much isn't. My liver was last tested in July and it was mid range normal but it does fluctuate depending on thyroid medication dosage. I'm not a drinker but I was a party animal years ago. Lol
My dermatologist has ordered a liver function test but I have to wait another two months before that's done.
Can you please advise what the link is between liver copper and iron.
I do think my liver is under strain with as i had a dull ache just below my rib cage on the right side the first day i took hrt. So stopped the other vitamins and iron and it went away. Increased the iron back to prescribed dose and its back again. Took hrt for 4 days and felt amazing, bright and happy. But the itch on the scalp was quite bad and scalp hair on my pillows also lashes fell out heavily so had to stop taking it. I have a similar feeling on my hair lune a few days before my period.
When my iron dropped below normal ot followed a different paytern of hair loss. No pins and needles and fell oit from every where including body hair.
The hair stopped fall out and started to grow back when the iron supplement was represcribed so it is linked to iron. Maybe a few other things.
Decreased transferrin saturation values are found in chronic iron deficiency, chronic infection, extensive malignancy, tissue inflammation states, uremia, and nephrotic syndrome. A full iron panel test could be performed alongside inflammatory markers.
Perimenopause can worsen a number of underlying conditions, so this could be a transient imbalance caused by hormonal fluctuation.
Do you have any other symptoms even if you think they are not related?
I'm definitely starting menopause. Night sweats started, very bad number leg once a month and heavy legs, cramp in legs. Vein from upper outer leg to ankle is painful. Pins an needles in arms once a month. Lashes and hair line also pins and needles in hair line and scalp fee days before period. Period last one day. Thanks for the info. Dr thinks menopause is effecting the thyroid so trying to treat that now as nothing works with change of dose medication for thyroid. I've tried it all over the years. Thanks for the link. Xx
I last had bloods done in sept. Ill upload them tomorrow. My dermotolgist said to have them done again in march. Xx
Hi Karen
If you don't have a copy of your last blood test results you can get them from the surgery. Ask the receptionist, they can give you a print out if you are unable to get them online.
How are your thyroid hormone levels, have they also got worse? Maybe this has caused some or all the other symptoms?
They think other hormones are inbalancing the thyroid. But I want my transferral iron in Range. Xx
I looked up transferrin. It is made in the liver and carries iron to where it's needed. "Transferral", though not the proper medical name, is actually a good word for what it does - transports iron ("Ferrin", and other similar words with like ferritin and ferrous, are to do with iron).
Hypothyroidism reduces the energy of every cell in the body, including the liver. So it could affect just about everything, skin, hair, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, brain, gut etc etc.
Which could explain some of what is happening to you.
One thing I noticed from the article is that drinking too much alcohol reduces transferrin levels. I read somewhere, but can't find it now, that HRT helps transferrin levels, s maybe you should go back on it. Losing your hair, though horrible, is better than making your health worse.
I'm not medically trained, but hope these are a few possible pointers.
Honestly I'll drink a gluten free beer maybe twice a month. I used to drink about 10 years ago but hardly go out socialising theses days. I don't even smoke lol. Xx
Thats really good information thank you for your detailed reply. Xx
Sorry, just read another post properly, you say you don't drink much now. I think I read on here that some (most???) people on thyroid replacement find that alcohol makes symptoms worse.
I used to go out a lot in my 30's but not these days. Alcohol would interfer with medication.
I started having problems at 42 so think it could be hormones. Also my cortisol was just in normal range but the nhs arent interested in treating that. So supplementing again. All these supplements will be having a negative effect in some form. Xx
Based upon the symptoms you are reporting, I’d say you are hypothyroid. You would need to get a full thyroid panel done (not just TSH). Before I was diagnosed, I lost the outer third of my eyebrows and most of my eyelashes, was extremely fatigued and had joint pain. My blood results never showed hypo but luckily, I had found an endo who would treat me based upon symptoms and Levothyroxine saved my life (and my sanity).
May I ask what HRT you were taking? Hormones are all about balance so if they only put you on estradiol you could be feeling worse. In addition, if you aren’t on enough hormone replacement, you could be feeling worse. I only felt good when I was balanced and that for me meant the proper dosage of Estradiol, Estriol, and progesterone. (In my case, I didn’t need testosterone, but many women need that as well).
Sex hormones and thyroid hormones both need to be in balance and one can affect the other. Thyroid hormones won’t work properly if sex hormones are out of whack.
As far as the iron goes, being hypo can affect how well your body processes iron. So, your falling transferrin could be an indicator that your thyroid is failing.
Can I ask what brand of hrt you are using please. I've used Ellesmere duet 1mg and my scalp itched terrible and had heavy hair fall from the crown as well as general hair fall from the rest of the scalp.
Also tried bio identical estrogen which is Aldo causing itching and heavier hair fall.
I thought estrogen was good for the scalp. So this shouldn't really be happening on the estrogen part of the pack. Xxx
Initially, I was on a bi-weekly estrogen patch (1mg Minivelle) and 200 mg oral progesterone (several generics as well as namebrand Prometrium). Could not get the dosage quite right to prevent breakthrough bleeding. In addition, I had issues with the oral progesterone. I would get terrible headaches; one kind upset my digestion and on the namebrand, I experienced crazy bloat and rapid weight gain (went back to normal once off$.
I’m currently on a custom compounded transdermal cream which contains two kinds of estrogen (Estradiol and Estriol) along with progesterone. I apply the cream to my skin twice a day (am/pm).
It too 6 months to get the dosage correct to alleviate symptoms )I would submit a sheet every 7 weeks noting symptoms).
Thanks for the info. Sounds dreadful. As bad as trying to get thyroid dosage right. I'm in UK so won't be able to custom company hrt. I've gone back to using the bio identical estrogen I imported from the states. I don't know estrogen it's made up of. Scalp has been itching and a lot of scalp hair in the shower again. So today I've tried it with progesterone as well and my scalp does feel calmer. But the itch is still there just milder.
From what I've read I believed it was testosterone based progesterone that caused itching and hair loss but it's definitely estrogen.
Unless there is a testosterone based compound in that as well.
Okay, so from what I’m reading, the HRT you’ve been prescribed comes in packets containing two different pills. One contains just estradiol (white tabs) and the other contains estradiol and progesterone (green tabs).
According to netdoctor.uk.net:
“Elleste duet conti tablets contain two active ingredients, estradiol hemihydrate (previously spelt oestradiol hemihydrate in the UK) and norethisterone acetate. These are forms of the main female sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. Estradiol is a naturally occuring form of oestrogen and norethisterone is a synthetic form of progesterone.”
So what this means is, you are only taking progesterone part of the time, but estradiol all the time. I do not know what is causing your itching as I’ve not heard that estradiol has thar effect. It could be a filler ingredient.
The filler ingredients are as follows:
List of excipients
Tablet core:
Lactose monohydrate,
Maize starch
Povidone 25
Talc (purified)
Magnesium stearate
Film-coating material:
Estradiol only (white) tablets:
Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (E464)
Titanium dioxide (E171)
Macrogol 400
Estradiol and Norethisterone Acetate only (green) tablets:
Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (E464)
Titanium dioxide (E171)
Macrogol 400
Quinoline yellow (E104)
Indigo carmine (E132)
You say that taking progesterone seems to help the itching. Perhaps, you need progesterone daily like I do?
It must be difficult trying to do this on your own. Is there any doctor monitoring your symptoms? There are many forms of HRT - if this one is problematic, can you try a different kind?
Thank you so much for the detail reply. Yes your description of what I'm taking is correct. My Dr prescribed it and I bought the bio identical privately.
The same thing happens with the plant based estrogen cream so can't be a filter.
I think the drop in estrogen has caused a drop in serum transferritin. I also think the liquid iron is building up in my liver so I really have get this sorted.
Thanks for the reply you've been really helpful. Xx
“Menopause and itching. During menopause, hormonal changes include a loss of estrogen. Estrogen is related to the production of collagen, an essential building block of skin. ... The lack of collagen and natural oils can cause your skin to become thin and itchy.”
Which seems counter to what is happening to you but maybe not? It does take time for estrogen levels to rise when taking HRT - it doesn’t halien overnight - so maybe your HRT is actually working since you said that the itchiness has abated a bit?
It's localised to my scalp and the hair fall is pretty heavy. The itch is very intense.
I countered it with progesterone cream which eased it but didnt stop it. So used a little more progesterone before going to bed but now the leg i applied it to is a little numb so not great lol. Xx
Thats very logical. Im not having flushes and the dermotologist and gp said im not menopausal but i felt there had bern a drop. I've struggled so badly that one younger dr decided tp try me on hrt. Felt great othet the hair loss and liver ache. Only took it for 4 day.
Elleste 1mg was prescribed. I think there is testosterone in it due to the scalp itching and hair liss grom my crown. But i could think clearly ot was amazing. Felt 30 again.
If your iron levels are too low it will cause a big problem, not only raising your chances of getting anemia but it reduces your chances of converting T4 to T3. And Ferritin is your iron storage, so it is equally as important as it can cause major problems if it is too low. Others here will know elaborate on this, I'm sure. Peace to you.
Hi, thanks for your reply. I've noticed that my liver function test has been increasing as the transferritin has been dropping. I've been taking liquid iron during this this time. Do you think the supplement could be effecting my liver. Xx
I don't want to comment on something I don't have enough knowledge of but I can say that too much or too little of anything, obviously, will effect your health, even though you may not be aware of it until it is too late, which is usually the M.O of most doctors: to say you are fine until a too obvious (like becoming hospitalized) reaction occurs. If you have inflammation that is causing liver enzymes to be elevated you will probably know it from the pain or elevated enzymes on your blood tests and check your hemoglobin: it's a protein in red blood cells because if your liver is damaged hemoglobin proteins will decline. You should get a full iron panel: your serum iron, TIBC (total iron-binding capacity) and your serum ferritin and post the results here. I wish you well & may God's peace be upon you
Hi Keith, just wanted to update the post with conversation I had with a 111 Dr last night regarding pain where liver is.
It's been bad all week after taking hrt for 4 days. Also liquid iron for 18mths with other supplements. Heavy cold took lemslip. Couldn't eat with pain. Conversation with Dr.
He said. It's not your liver as there wouldn't be pain.Your looking for things that aren't there. I'm putting things together with blood tests and coming up with the wrong answer.
Serum transferritin doesn't mean anything and most Dr's don't bother with it.
Told me the pain was indigestion. I wouldn't accept this. It's a pulled muscle then. No it's not.
You can take iron for yrs it won't effect your liver. What would make me think it was your liver. Replied, because all meds may have caused a bleed making me anaemic. The nhs website described the dull pain and location and hrt is hard on liver. It started with hrt. Website also linked copper, transferritin and Wilson's disease. My liver blood tests are going in the wrong direction. It feels like overload on my liver. The Dr laughed down the phone. Said medication won't effect your liver and I've probably got gallstones. Told me take paracetamol. He's not concerned about my liver Said earlier this had flared it up again.
Honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry. My Gp will read the updated records and probably agree with him.
Always check the medications you are taking. Listen to this, FACT: Several years the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) issued a public health advisory about a drug called terbinafine. There were cases in which this drug caused liver failure, resulting in 11 deaths and the need for liver transplants in two patients. A few thing you should know about this drug, terbinafine: it's marketed heavily under the brand name Lamisil. Second, the FDA approved it without discovering the potential flaw. Third, the FDA still allows it to be sold. And, fourth, this drug is used to treat toenail fungus infections.
I have had toenail fungus for several and my doctor prescribed for me to take a pill, which I nixed. Can you imagine anyone going to their "doctor" for toenail fungus and ending up dead from liver failure?
If your "doctors" are not treating you properly: with respect and genuine behavior that you believe they are seriously trying to help you, change them. Check every medication you take, including any supplements you take. I would suggest taking ONLY what you can determine, through research and patient input on this website and your personal friends, to not trust anyone, esp. any "doctors," who are not of the human race. I wish I could help you more but these are only my opinions and should not reflect on any decent people who happen to practice medicine, there are plenty of them but they are very hard to find. May the Lord's grace, peace and mercy be upon you and bring you closer to the truth.
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Ferritin, Iron & Iron Binding - Haemochromatosis / Iron Avidity / Iron Overload - Blood results
Iron. So confused. 
