Ferritin level is 7. Anyone explain?

[FennyBridges]

Basically I've got my haemoglobin up from 105 to 118 by eating spinach five times a week (Tesco's frozen defrosted and cooked. A wonder!) But I've had a ferritin level checked too and it's 7.

What does '7' mean? I've googled and I don't know '7' of what measurement. I don't understand if that's low, because I understand 118 for haemoglobin is only slightly low?

I was hoping someone could help explain. I'll see if I can get a Dr appointment this week. Bizarrely my legs are aching an awful lot and my hair appears to be falling out a bit. My breathlessness and chest pain have improved since my haemoglobin has gone up. I was going to Google the legs and hair but I'm reluctant.

Thanks

7 is low and low ferritin can cause hair loss. I wish I knew how to increase it as I have the same problem and my Dr isn't interested.

It’s super low. Bottom of the range is usually around 10, but my gp likes to see it above 50. Some say above 70 is better. No wonder you have aches and pains.

You probably need to supplement with iron tablets, not just spinach. You can buy iron tablets from the pharmacy counter cheaper than a prescription.

Have they checked for other conditions that could cause low iron? Coeliac disease can cause malabsorption. As can certain medications.

Yeah that's low.

Low ferritin is your reserves.

My ferritin is low too (around 15 last time I had a blood test) and I get pains in my legs and hair loss too. I’m waiting for my latest blood test results at the moment. I’ll be interested to see what your doctor says as I’m not sure how you increase your ferritin, which is the reserve stores of iron.

my ferritin was 7 and then raised to 15. i bruise easily, have lots of hair loss, get plantations, am constantly shattered.
Dr says it is in the normal range so says its all ok.

Star, you increase it by taking iron tablets, or having an iron infusion in some cases.

my DS had ferritin level of 19 and had severe hair loss. It's now 49 (which is low but borderline acceptable) and his hair is fully grown back.

We increased DS's by using a good multi vitamin with iron, you have to remember low ferritin needs also vitamin C and probably vit D as they often go hand in hand as deficiencies.

I would probably take this www.vitabiotics.com/wellwoman/plus-3-6-9 plus an additional vitamin c supplement

Wow thanks everyone!

I'm super impressed with my haemoglobin but I honestly thought I'd store it too?

I have no other side effects (thinking of coeliac disease) but I get so exhausted at times I can barely stand up. I teach full time too. Obviously I get dizzy but my legs have really begun to bother me. Aching and restless and this weird pain in the back of my knee? Luckily my hair is very thick but I lose handfuls every day.

So I'm not wasting a doctor's time if I go because of this blood result? And is 118 for haemoglobin anaemic? I'm aware 105 was.

My doctor wanted my ferritin up to 12 from 8, which I managed to do with diet - bloody steaks and lots of dark greens. Since menopause I take an iron supplement as my reserves are still on the low side. My haemoglobin levels are ok though. I think you can boost reserves with a supplement. I have ferrous gluconate which is easier to tolerate than some.

Yes, 7 is really low, but I would assume that your reserves (which is what the ferritin is a measure of) won't recover until you're no longer actively anaemic.

Did they work out what was (or rather, is) causing you to be anaemic in the first place, and resolve that?

Sounds like you need proper supplementation - not just a diet change - and/or something to address the root cause, e.g. stopping heavy periods, or working out why you might have an iron absorption issue.

@idontknowwhattosay 50 is a normal ferritin level. everything you say my DS had and was reversed when his ferritin reached 49.

I think 20 is technically normal but acording to the consultant who saw DS it's too low and she sees hair loss in a lot of people with this level.

I had a Ferritin level of 19 (was told average should be 150) and have since been taking Ferrous Sulphate from the chemist (no prescription required, it’s what the pharmacist recommended). I take 3 a day during bad periods and drop to 1/none when feeling good.

Yeah, that's low.
Mine's 3.8. All they've done is give me supplements that make me feel sick and give me a bad stomach.
My memory is so bad (partly due to my B12 being 64) that I do forget to take them, so I'm not sure how effective a treatment it is.

My ferritin levels were below the test detection limit last summer (18 months ago). Your 7, means 7 mg/litre. Or it might be microgrammes per litre, but it’s the concentration of ferritin in your blood. I was falling asleep practically every time I sat down!

My GP was also concerned about coeliac disease, but out me on 3 months of ferrous sulphate tablets yo make sure that I was getting the iron in the first place. I had a blood year again after 3 months. He said that the lifecycle of a red blood cell was 3 months, so no point in doing a second test sooner.

That was about a year ago. I don’t routinely take the tablets anymore, but really think about what I eat, and still have some and take them for s few days if I feel myself flagging.

In Canada the Hgb normal range for women is 123-157g/L, so that'd equate to 12.3 - 15.7 in the units you're using. So, yes, you'd be considered still slightly anaemic over here.

DS was taking the vitabiotic vitamin for around 6 months for full recovery, I would suggest anyone with ferratin below 50 takes this or an equivalent. I researched it thoroughly when DS lost his hair , and this brand had the best combination of vitamins to replace the low iron plus the others like C which is used to boost iron. Vit D deficiency is nearly always there if you have low ferritin.

To be honest I don’t think that’s a particularly big increase in haemoglobin. You’re still at the bottom end of the scale. I really don’t think spinach is going to cut it.

Well, I think I'm to blame really. I have a copper coil so my periods are probably on the heavy side although I don't really know what 'heavy' is. I don't really talk to anyone about it. I skip meals a lot, although haven't for a good month or two. I am a blood donor, but haven't donated for a year as my haemoglobin was 124 last October but it has to be 125 to donate. But I didn't bother the Dr then as the blood service set high levels apparently. But iron does seem to have disappeared from me somehow .

And normal ferritin is considered 11-307 µg/L here, but I've been told that I should aim for >50. I struggle to get anywhere above 20 and I'm mildly symptomatic despite not being actively anaemic, hgb wise, at the moment.

My Dr won't repeat my bloods. They've said it's unnecessary as I'm taking supplements so my results will improve given time. Don't know if that's true though. My advice is to keep pushing.

Definitely take iron supplements. Like PPs I had severe hair loss and after some blood tests and a visit to a trichologist we worked out my low ferritin level was to blame (9). The scale is commonly regarded as ludicrous, because over 10 is considered 'normal', yet over 40 is a much healthier level. You could easily be low in ferritin without being anaemic, and it's easy to fix! I raised my ferritin by taking Galfer tablets, and the hair loss stopped in a couple of months. (Note- hair loss isn't a guaranteed symptom!) I still take iron supplements because I'm vegan, and have had two pregnancies in a short space of time.

Low Ferritin alone doesn't seem to cause alarm here in the UK. It's the protein that iron binds to so low ferritin can mean low iron but not necessarily. In the US they'll infuse iron around 50 but my ferritin was at six for two years before my haemaglobin dropped to a level at which they'd infuse (7) at this point my ferritin was at two and iron at three. My rounds of infusions hold for around six months. I have my macro and micro nutrients checked (blood test) every four weeks and I have B12 shots every twelve weeks too.

Sorry - no idea why I thought you'd posted your hgb level in UK units. I guess I'm just used to responding to posts about anaemia on here where they're not in my usual units.

Ferrograd C tablets (expensive, but recommended by hair-loss clinics), coupled with magnesium to relieve constipation.