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Original poster

Blood test results. Help please.

38 replies

Waitingforthesunshine24 · 25/07/2025 13:03

Hello all,

I would appreciate some insight into these blood results. Can anyone tell me what they mean? I have read about iron deficiency but I have been taking ferrous fumerate everyday for about 3 months. I had a miscarriage in May but levels were about the same prior to that.

Much appreciated as googling is giving me too much information

OP posts:

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Overfrog · 27/07/2025 17:50

Put your results into chat gpt (with your age etc) and ask for an analysis.

Imaybeoldbutstillrandy · 27/07/2025 18:06

You have been given good advice - nothing to be too concerned about. I would suggest that you take some multi-vitamins that include iron. Increase the amount of green leafy veg (kale &, ironically though not green, cauliflower is better than broccoli for vitamins & minerals so Cauliflower cheese as good nutritious & easy meal), liver, eggs & generally a good balanced diet to include 2 portions of oily fish (mackerel, salmon etc) a week.

For years one of my favourite quick lunches has been tinned sardines in tomato sauce on toast - costs about 50p for a tin, quick, easy & tasty. 😏

BeansCounter · 27/07/2025 18:28

@Choux could you share who did your private bloods? I'm looking into this myself. Thank you.

LadyBracknellsHandbagg · 27/07/2025 18:32

Waitingforthesunshine24 · 25/07/2025 13:03

Hello all,

Much appreciated as googling is giving me too much information

My best advice is to talk to your doctor and don’t take medical advice from Mumsnet.

Choux · 27/07/2025 18:41

Of course. I got this blood test done with a clinic close to work drawing the blood for me. When I saw my haemaglobin was a bit low (123) but ferritin ok I suspected I had a B12 issue and went to the GP.

She basically told me I probably just wasn’t eating as well as I thought (she had old test results not visible in my NHS app with a much higher haemaglobin). We agreed I could take any supplements I liked but she agreed to retest my blood in three months so I went off and took high dose iron, B12 and D then got retested on the NHS. I started feeling less tired after two weeks on the supplements. After 3 months my haemaglobin was up to 132 and my ferritin was up from 75 to 125.

I am still taking all my supplements and will get another medichecks test in a few months to check progress and make sure nothing is going too high. My MCHC is still not quite in the normal range but maybe that is just normal for me.

sorry - more detail than you asked for but maybe it will help someone.
https://www.medichecks.com/products/optimal-health-blood-test

Optimal Health Blood Test

Unlock a deeper understanding of your health with our most comprehensive panel covering 59 biomarkers. From advanced heart disease markers, diabetes risk factors, and longevity markers, this test is designed for those dedicated to living better for lon...

https://www.medichecks.com/products/optimal-health-blood-test

Rosscameasdoody · 27/07/2025 18:42

Waitingforthesunshine24 · 25/07/2025 19:25

Just interested if this means anything x

It;s part of an FBC (full blood count). If it puts your mind at rest my DH has various health conditions and they do an FBC every three months or so. GP rings to discuss but they’re mostly satisfactory with GP explaining anything that needs attention and repeats as necessary.

Freedbagforlife · 27/07/2025 18:44

Another one here to say take iron supplements every other day to increase absorption and it can also reduce side effects

BerryTwister · 27/07/2025 19:25

Choux · 25/07/2025 20:48

Ferritin of under 30 means you have iron deficiency anemia. Your dr should be advising you to take iron. Not a vitamin a day but high doses of iron. I have been taking 500mg of ferrous fumerate a day. You can buy it over the counter for about £5 for a month or two’s supply.

I am not a dr but I recently had some private blood tests done. The report they gave me is written in quite easy to understand language. Here’s what they say about the tests you are out of the normal range for:

MCV - Low MCV levels indicate that your red blood cells are a smaller size than they should be. This indicates that you may have microcytic anaemia, which is generally caused by iron deficiency anaemia. Low levels of iron in the blood reduce the amount of haemoglobin which can be made, thereby decreasing red blood cell size.

Iron deficiency anaemia may be caused by a reduced dietary intake of iron, or by malabsorptive conditions such as Crohn's disease, where the digestive tract is too inflamed to uptake enough iron.

RBC - An elevated RBC count can indicate that you have polycythaemia, meaning that you have a greater number of RBCs than normal. This often arises as the body increases red blood cell production in order to compensate for chronically low oxygen levels caused by lung disease, or living at altitude.

Raised RBC counts can also be caused by dehydration, smoking, and kidney tumours which stimulate excess RBC production.

MCH - MCH is looked at in the context of your other red cell blood markers. If your other markers are normal then a slightly low MCH level may not be significant.

Low MCH levels may be caused by anaemia, when the number of blood cells are low. Anaemia can be caused by iron deficiency, which can be caused by not consuming enough iron in the diet, or from conditions such as Crohn's disease where the intestines are unable to absorb sufficient iron. Other causes include gastrointestinal bleeds such as with peptic ulcers, and by a lack of vitamins such as B12 and folate.

So I would start by increasing your ferritin and then the other markers should improve. The optimum level for ferritin is over 100.

Please bear in mind that different labs have different normal ranges OP.

Merryoldgoat · 27/07/2025 19:26

Are you of Caribbean or African descent?

I have small red blood cells as I have an unusual haemaglobinopathy which is generally only found in Afro-Caribbean people. No ill effects for me a but could present an issue depending on who I had children with.

teraculum29 · 27/07/2025 20:14

Google says:

A ferritin 15-29 ug/L: Indicative of low body iron stores

A ferritin level of 15-29 ug/L in adults indicates low body iron stores, falling within the range that suggests iron depletion. While not as severe as iron deficiency (ferritin <15 ug/L), it signals a need for monitoring and potential intervention to prevent progression to iron deficiency anaemia.

A ferritin level between 30-99 ug/L is generally considered indeterminate for iron deficiency. This means it's not low enough to definitively indicate iron deficiency, but also not high enough to rule it out.
Further investigation, such as additional iron studies, may be necessary to determine if iron deficiency is present.

Original poster

Waitingforthesunshine24 · 27/07/2025 20:34

That is super interesting about taking iron every other day! Who knew. Thank you for those who have commented as I look at it and can’t make head nor tail of it lol x

OP posts:

Storminthesky · 28/07/2025 15:59

NettleTea · 27/07/2025 17:38

interestingly my daughter was told by her gynacologist that she should take iron suppliments every other day, rather than every day, because it has a better rate of absorbtion. I wasnt party to the whys and wheres of his thinking, but the low dose she takes for endometriosis has been transformational

This is true every other day. I've been on and off IDA pretty much all my adult life (20 years). And when I first started I was told to take 3 200mg a day. But my stomach couldn't handle it. Was then told just take 2. Still struggled so went on to Ferrous Sulfate which was much better for me. But the last docs visit. Was one every other day. And it does work better for me.

NettleTea · 28/07/2025 18:17

my daughter takes 200gms ferrus sulphate every other day
I asked her what the dr said and she said something like the body adjusts itself if you take it every day and you end up not much better than you were, but if you take it every other day it sneaks it in somehow.

im sure thats not very scientific, but....

anyhow she went from having 5 years of chronic fatigue and bedbound periods to pretty much manging full time uni and now working part time. Its a bloody miracle

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