Ferritin and anaemia

[Anonymousemouses]

I had bloods early December and it showed raised ALP, abnormally low MCV and MCH and my HBA1c was 42.

The GP gave me another blood test last week, which included iron studies.

The results from this are:
serum iron abnormal 9mmol (normal is 11 - 32)

serum transferrin normal

transferrin saturation level abnormal 12% (20 - 55)

red blood count abnormal 5,12 (normal 3,80 - 5)

MCV abnormal 75 (normal 83 - 101)

MCH abnormal 23 (normal 27 - 32)

Ferritin abnormal 8 (normal 30 - 336).

Weirdly my MCV has gone up slightly since last month and my HBA1c has gone down to normal, so I am no longer considered pre-diabetic, which is strange as I thought it was the three previous months?

Based on the ferritin being 8 the GP has told me to go to a pharmacy and ask for some strong iron tablets.

The GP has also said that the raised ALP (still raised), and HBA1c is due to anaemia.

The thing is I will be 56 next month and do not have periods anymore, yet my blood has got worse since the blood test a year ago.

Why is my ferritin and mcv, etc, getting worse, when I am no longer bleeding and haven't for a couple of years?

Also why is my RBC higher if I have anaemia?

It could be worth asking this question to ChatGPT

Hi, OP.
I have slight anaemia, osteopenia and raised ALP levels.
I'm 58 and had a chemically induced menopause through chemo 7 years ago.
I was told that ALP levels can rise during menopause, due to bone density loss.

Raised ALP can be due to Vitamin D deficiency which is very common in a UK winter.

If your periods have stopped then possibly you are still catching from when you did have periods, your diet doesn't contain enough iron, you aren't absorbing the iron for example coeliac disease or you are losing iron somewhere else, usually your gut.

I would expect a coeliac test and a FIT test which tests for bleeding in the gut.