Can anyone help me with my iron levels?

[rosael56]

I've read on here that supplementing iron when only ferretin is low can be risky .... But wondered if anyone could give any input on my results? My ferretin isn't great and I want to improve it.

Haemoglobin 140 (115 - 165)

Serum iron level 18 (10 - 30)

Serum transferrin 2.1 (2.0 - 4.0)

Transferrin saturation index 34.1% (20 - 50)

Ferritin 35 (15 - 300)

Is it safe for me to take iron tablets? I've been following the advice to eat high iron foods for months - I eat liver pate 2-3 times a week but my ferritin has gone down since earlier this year. Its not working 😫 any advice?

Just to note I can't drink orange juice sadly, it gives me terrible gastritis.

[humanbean]

Optimal levels for an iron panel are shown in this link :

1) rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...

The above link doesn't give much info on optimal ferritin, but this link does :

2) thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

The following paragraph suggests an optimal level for ferritin :

Normal ferritin levels for women are between 20 and 200 ng/mL. According to some experts, ferritin levels of at least 40 ng/ml are required to stop hair loss, while levels of at least 70 ng/ml are needed for hair regrowth. The optimal ferritin level for thyroid function is between 90-110 ng/ml.

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Haemoglobin 140 (115 - 165) 50% through the range

Your haemoglobin is mid range suggesting that you are not anaemic. If your level was low in range or under range you would most likely be anaemic.

Serum iron level 18 (10 - 30) 40% through the range

Link 1 above says :

Serum iron

• 55 to 70% of the range

• higher end for men

Your result is lower than the optimal given, suggesting that you need more iron.

Serum transferrin 2.1 (2.0 - 4.0)

From link 1 :

TIBC (total iron binding capacity) or Transferrin

• Low in range indicates lack of capacity for additional iron

• High in range indicates body's need for supplemental iron

Your transferrin is low in range suggesting that you don't have the capacity for more iron.

Transferrin saturation index 34.1% (20 - 50)

Saturation

• optimal is 35 to 45%

• higher end for men

Your saturation is very close to optimal. To raise it you would need to take iron, but probably not for very long.

Ferritin 35 (15 - 300)

The optimal ferritin level for thyroid function is between 90-110 ng/ml.

Your result is much lower than the optimal suggested in link 2. To raise it you would need more iron.

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As you can see, your results are contradictory. This is common. Ideally you would find a way of raising your ferritin and iron without affecting haemoglobin or transferrin.

I think you should try supplementing iron for about six weeks, then test again to see which of your results is being affected. There is a possibility that your ferritin may zoom up, or your serum iron may zoom up. Depending on what rises with iron supplementation can tell you different things about your health.

The currently recommended iron supplements on the forum , that seem to work for quite a few people (but not everybody), are Three Arrows :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

threearrowsnutra.com/en-uk/...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

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Another important factor in raising iron/ferritin is whether your vitamin B12 and folate levels are optimal. If they aren't they need to be improved with methylcobalamin (B12) and methylfolate (folate). Avoid folic acid.

[rosael56 in reply to humanbean]

Thank you so much for your help! This is extremely helpful. How confusing that some of my results indicate I need iron and others the opposite. And how frustrating.

My folate is currently 19 (range just says above 3) and b12 is 469 (150 - 900) but that is total b12. I've decided to do an active b12 test through medichecks to see if that differs.

Thank you. I will try supplementing iron and see what happens.

[priya_uk]

Hi there, my dad's ferritin was not going up and it also affected his Haemoglobin. Someone on another forum advised that he should try non acidic form of Vitamin C. Within a month his ferritin and Haemoglobin went up. He takes ferrous fumarate on empty stomach with non acid vitamin c tablets from boots. Hope this helps.