Iron status

[Haybrookie]

could the following iron results explain my exhaustion and weakness? I am supplementing with spa tone and have been since giving birth on and off two years ago

thanks you

Serum iron level 12.0 umol/L [9.0 - 34.0]

Serum transferrin level 2.3 g/L |2.1 - 3.6]

Transferrin saturation index 21 % [15.0 - 55.0]

Serum ferritin level 34 ug/L [20.0 - 275.0]

[humanbean]

Serum iron level 12.0 umol/L [9.0 - 34.0] 12% through the range

Serum transferrin level 2.3 g/L |2.1 - 3.6] 13.33% through the range

Transferrin saturation index 21 % [15.0 - 55.0] In range but well below optimal

Serum ferritin level 34 ug/L [20.0 - 275.0] 5.49% through the range

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could the following iron results explain my exhaustion and weakness?

Yes.

I am supplementing with spa tone and have been since giving birth on and off two years ago

If your iron and ferritin were already absolutely optimal then Spatone might be useful for some people who absorb iron well as a means to maintain it that way.

But if your iron and ferritin are low, need to be raised, and you don't absorb iron well then Spatone is not helpful. Its iron content is very low. It's also expensive. There are better supplements.

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Optimal results for an iron panel are given in this link :

rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...

The ferritin info on that link above is not very good so for that I use the following link :

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

The relevant paragraph from that last link is :

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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Note that contradictory results in an iron panel are very common, and the Transferrin or TIBC are the ones most likely to give conflicting results.

[Anecdote : My iron results were all abysmal a few years ago and my Transferrin/TIBC was actually below range when it should have been really high.]

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Serum Iron

• 55 to 70% of the range

• higher end for men

Your result is 12% through the range , and you are female. Optimal iron for you would be 55% to approx 65% through the range, so you need more iron.

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Serum Transferrin

• Low in range indicates lack of capacity for additional iron

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

Your result is very low in range, which suggests you don't have the capacity for more iron.

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Transferrin saturation index

• optimal is 35 to 45%

• higher end for men

Your result is 21% through the range and you're female. Optimal saturation would be 35% up to approx 42%, so you need more iron.

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Serum ferritin

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

Your result is 34 micrograms/L.

Note : 1 ng/mL is equivalent to 1 microgram/L.

Your ferritin is too low, so you need more iron.

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So, you need more iron and need to supplement. Since your results are all in range doctors would probably tell you that your results are fine and would refuse to prescribe supplements. What they almost never say is that the supplements they prescribe can be bought from pharmacies in the UK without prescription, with the pharmacist's permission. I was refused once (by Boots) but I just went to another pharmacy and bought my supplements there. I have since wondered if the Boots pharmacist was at lunch.

These are the supplements that doctors prescribe most often :

bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/ferro...

bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/ferro...

bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/ferro...

Note, the sulfate is the cheapest and the least well tolerated, so I would suggest avoiding that. The fumarate was the one I took :

expresschemist.co.uk/pics/p...

But note that brand doesn't really matter. The box should contain 84 tablets of ferrous fumarate 210mg. The BNF link above tells you about doses.

I don't know how well tolerated the gluconate is, and I've never tried it myself.

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The supplements I mention above are all types of iron salts.

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Note that spatone sachets contain 5mg iron per sachet. The fumarate tablets contain 69mg iron per tablet. The gluconate contains 35mg iron per tablet, and the sulfate contains 65mg per tablet. So, as you can see the 5mg provided by spatone is a tiny dose.

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Some people do well with what is called "Gentle Iron", sold as a supplement and easily sourced. It is made of Iron (or ferrous) Bisglycinate. You should find lots of references to bisglycinate on the forum, if you search.

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A very popular supplement on the forum is Three Arrows Heme/Haem Iron. Apparently it doesn't cause the same gut irritation as iron salts (for most people anyway). It is discussed in these links :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

threearrowsnutra.com/en-uk/...

There are also patches that work for some :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

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Anyone supplementing iron should test regularly to see if they are absorbing the iron at all, and also to check their levels aren't rising too high. Ferritin and iron can be completely different. Iron could be high while ferritin is low. Iron could be low while ferritin is high, or one could be "normal" while the other is low or high.

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Anyone taking iron supplements of any kind might benefit from taking 1000 mcg Vitamin C with their iron because it helps the body to absorb the iron.