Another 'don't understand blood test results' one...

[FragrantFloozy]

I had blood tests last week due to fainting a few times out of the blue.

I'm trying to interpret my TSH, T4 and ferritin results, but getting confused by info online.

ferritin is 25 ug/L
T4 11.8 pmo/L
TSH 0.85 mu/L

Can anyone tell me if these are normal/optimum?

Many thanks

I have Hypothyroidism and these results look normal to me.
T4 is on the higher end of the scale but still normal.
TSH and ferritin are in normal range too

Ferritin may be classed as normal by the lab but 25 isn’t ideal and could be causing tiredness. Mine was at 9 and I felt horrendous but didn’t feel properly better until

Oops sorry!
Didn’t feel better until I got up to around 45.
I’ve read that optimum levels are above 50 so you might want to try some iron supplements and see if it helps. It can take a while though, took me about 3 months of high level supplements.

It’s very difficult to interpret blood tests accurately without the reference ranges (the two figures in brackets), because it’s often more where you fall in that range, or out of it, that enables you to interpret the results, rather than just the figure on its own. Ranges vary from place to place and in your case it will also depend on whether you are being treated for hypothyroidism or not.

Having said that though, your ferritin is woefully low, low enough to inhibit your thyroid function and to require supplementation. It should ideally be 70, or even 100 to support biochemical processes in your body.

Your FT4, if the range is something like 12-22, or even 9-26 as it is where I live, is also way too low. Although your TSH looks ‘normal’, that combined with the low FT4 suggests that if you are not diagnosed and treated, you should be reading up about secondary hypothyroidism and going back to your GP.

NB it is not enough to be within the reference range. You really need to be at an optimal point within that range.

Thank you all.

That’s really helpful timeistight.

I had a dreadful period of illness and fatigue two years ago and was treated for very low Vitamin D levels. I still take a daily dose and my levels are much better now.

I was feeling normal for a long time, but have recently started to have the same symptoms + the fainting, which is why I had the tests. I also have thinning hair and am very pale, so I have suspected Anaemia or a thyroid issue.

Does anyone have any advice on the best iron/ferritin supplement to take?

Keep those vitamin D levels up. That's really important.

You have this. patient.info/doctor/non-anaemic-iron-deficiency Presumably they'll check your Hb levels through a Full Blood Count and if they're low you will also be anaemic.

The best iron supplement is the one that you can tolerate and which raises your level. There's some info on the link above.

These sort of issues go hand in hand with thyroid problems, which cause low stomach acid and malabsorption. Remember, you can have a thyroid issue with a 'normal' TSH if the problem is elsewhere in your endocrine system.