To think a ferritin level of 31 is low

[User4544]

In a female. Doctor says not as he says the reference range is 20-200

@User4544 how are you now ? I have been soo poorly! I lost alot of blood at birth! It was between 11-16 . In sept it was 20 but didnt feel right. Im now feeling really rough. Drs say all ok!

Mine was y and I felt like shit. Had palpitations, tingling arms, breathless when walking over 15 minutes. I thought it was getting older and peri, but it wasn’t.

@KangarooKenny what was your levels? Mine was 20 in sept. And i feel soo ill! X

That should say ‘mine was 7’

Mine is 6 at all times.

I had to have iron infusions when pregnant, and standby blood for my 2 c-sections.

No amount of iron/supplements affect it.

I function perfectly well. I breastfed both babies for a looong time and I'm as tired as any full time working mum but not excessively.

Also I have very long hair that grows normally, and good skin.

Mine is 11 and my dr still says it's normal. I think it's low.

@KangarooKenny yours was very low!
im hoping mine is all done to this. Ive had so many tests and all
clear, my baby sleeps 12 hrs and always tiresd x

I had mine at that level and GO says its in range but at the low end. But it’s not optimum by any means esp for hair growth. I had it this low for decades and could function and it was only when my hair loss became bad that I started to do something about it. Wish I’d started sooner as it seems to take years to get back up.

That is low. I spoke with my dermatologist as was having hair loss and she referred me for a blood test with GP. Ferritin was 42 and GP said it was 'satisfactory' but dermatologist said it's too low to maintain healthy hair (should be min 70 for hair, average person is 150). I've recently started taking 210mg or ferrous fumerate (iron) per day also g side high strength vit c which helps it absorb as I was getting really bad bloating and I do feel like I've got more energy. Going back in 3 months to check my levels again and see if need to keep up with iron supplements.
My GP was happy to go with suggestions from dermatologist and I was able to buy iron online.

@BMrs how long was it till u felt better after takinf thw medication? Xx

Only a problem if your Hb is low (under 116) or there's more data to suggest your ferritin is decreasing over time.

Ferritin is an indication of your iron stores, Hb is your available iron. So if your Hb is fine and your ferritin is borderline then thats fine because your body has the available iron it needs. And, assuming no pathology then there's no reason to think you wouldn't continue to take on the iron you need & keep your Hb in normal range.

If your HB is low then your body is going to be drawing on those iron stores and if they are low/borderline then there's going to be problems and a supplement would be useful or a transfusion in extreme cases (I wouldn't class a ferritin of 31 as extreme).

Hope that's helpful.

My dr removed ferrous fumerate from my repeat prescriptions when my levels reached 22. I still felt awful so I just bought it myself. I can’t seem to get above 28 and feel dreadful.

Yes, was also going to say you can buy iron supplements OOTC if you want them but the doc doesn't think there is a clinical need to prescribe. They are not expensive (less than the prescription tax I think!).

You'll get much better advice here:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4488804-Ferritin-ALWAYS-low-but-other-iron-tests-ok-or-too-high?reply=122207954

When my ferritin was 7 the GP prescribed one lot of ferrous Fumarate and that was that, no repeat blood test to check it had worked. He just said to come back if I still felt ill.

I have adenomyosis and my ferritin (measured 2 weeks ago) is currently 13, the test results say the normal range is 10-291 ug/L.

I'm taking ferrous sulphate and hoping for the best.

My GP thinks 30 is fine, my Consultant Gastroentrologist told me it should be over 70.

@Ashemark i have that too! I have an ultrasound which the lady said. And due to my heavy painful periods! But now ive actually been referred to gynaecologist! Whats ur symptoms thats made u take the iron tablets? Xx

@Spiderysummer did u get horroble symptoms at that level xx

@Starrr123 I was very tired and my hair was falling out more than it should.

@Spiderysummer have you been taking any iron tablets to help xx

Mine is 30 ish too but I have low red blood cell counts, low Haemoglobin and haematocrit etc but I can't take iron tablets as I have bowel issues and they stop my bowels from doing anything.

For those who have mentioned lowish levels and seeing dermatologists, was this for acne? I am 42 and have bad hormonal acne on my chin.

I am in the low 30s and also have borderline B12 levels which I wonder may be connected to my skin?

Always tired and hair does shed a lot

Mine at last check was around 400. Has been steadily going up for years but they don’t why. I’ve been tested for Haemochromatosis multiple times bait always negative.