Low iron all the time

[Peonyyyy]

I always seem to have low ferritin/iron whenever I get it tested. I get put on ferrous fumerate and then nothing else happens until I arrange a follow up test. It’s never low enough for an infusion.

i have a healthy diet, eat meat and dark green veg, and last fave birth over a year ago. I also don’t have very heavy periods. I do have PCOS and also have had elevated cholesterol a few times (managed by reducing dairy).

I have asked for a follow up appointment which will be over the phone and not until May!

jusg wondered if anyone else has chronic low iron and why it happens for you, and how you treat it. Thank you

Yeah, currently going through this myself. I’ve been on iron from the gp for 5 months and my levels just keep getting lower and lower. I read yesterday that cress seeds are full of iron, going to try that because honestly I’m struggling currently being around the 12 mark ( was 19 in dec and just keep dropping)

@GreenGodiva glad it’s not just me! I will look into those seeds. When I googled what the cause could be, it said recent surgery, heavy periods, pregnancy, coeliac or cancer!

I really want to know the actual cause so I can treat the root reason why it’s happening. But I think the GP will just give me ferrous fumerate tablets again, which is fine but as you say I’m not sure if they will even work and surely if I’m eating a healthy diet I shouldn’t need them?

If you have low iron and are not responding to oral iron you really should have further investigations. In particular wrt possible absorption issues or chronic blood loss.

Are you on Omneprazole or other PPIs? Proton Pump Inhibitors are known to cause iron issues.

I now use an oral spray to avoid the stomach, not all GPs seem to know this but mine did a lot of research.

@Sminty2 no I’m not in those.

@endofthelinefinally i haven’t been taking oral ferrous fumerate for about a month, because the supply I was given ran out and there was no repeat option on my account, so I figured I’d just have the repeat blood test and then follow up if it was still low.

I’ve attached my results, I’ve never read them like this before as it’s only just started to be put online with my GP surgery, technically my ferritin is normal but it’s right at the low end and I’m sure it’s only not abnormal yet because I have been taking ferrous fumerate until recently.

but the serum TIBI and UIBI are abnormal (too high) which apparently points to anaemia.

Yes - so the question really is why are you anaemic? Hopefully your GP will refer you for tests.

@endofthelinefinally yes I suppose it is! Do you know what kind of tests I should be asking for? I can see him just putting me on tablets again and that’s it.

Sorry I mixed you up with GreenGodiva, who said that her levels keep getting lower despite medication. It looks as though you haven't had enough iron tablets to make a difference yet. You must take them with vitamin C/orange juice and not within two hours of tea or coffee. Google iron rich foods and try to get more in your diet.

I always had low iron, and tablets never helped. Now I eat liver at least once a week, and red meat pretty much every day. It works for me, but yes, it is repetitive and quite boring, but having more energy is worth it.

Iron tablets don't work for everyone (even if no underlying cause) but if you want to give them a chance to work you need to take them for months and months consistently. How long are the courses you are on? Just buy them from the shop and take them for months.
If you don't get on with ferrous fumerate, there are other options - maltose, bisglycinate etc. All available in shops and online.
I presume you are taking them with orange juice and not anywhere near times you eat dairy or tea?

I would be pushing for coeliac tests as levels not improving when you're taking iron would indicate absorption issues

thanks all, yes I definitely do need to take ferrous fumerate for a longer period - I will ask the doctor to put me on a continuous repeat and keep monitoring it. And I will also ask for a coeliac test. Possibly B12 and thyroid too?

the thing I’m wondering is, why do I need to take them? What is the underlying reason? Surely there must be women out there who don’t need to take them.

I also have had hair loss for years which I wonder might’ve been due to low iron. I always thought it was due to PCOS but although my mum has PCOS too she has never had hair loss.

I always take my tablets before bed, so I few hours after eating and I take vitamin c with them too as well as a B vitamin complex, omega 3 and vitamin d.

Coeliac disease?

I’d been reading a bit about this lately and it’s common to rush and add iron rich foods to our diets but it’s important to add vitamin c at the same time as that means the iron is absorbed much more effectively. So they were saying add the two together so if you’ve having an iron fortified cereal add strawberries. Peppers are high so add them to things like chilli etc.

Please ask your GP for a FIT test to rule out blood in your poo - even if you can’t see it then it could still be there. There are lots of causes for this but it’s important to find out what’s causing persistent low iron.

I took Ferrous fumarate for about 9 months, didnt notice any increase in energy levels. I gave up because I was getting terrible stomach pains about 4 hours after taking them. (I was doing every other day). Went to the doctors who told me it was nonsense. They wouldn't give me cramps. Sent me off for another blood test. Couldn't get one for a few weeks, so 7 weeks after stopping had more bloods my count was 12. This was considered normal so GP didn't want to see me again. I am STILL exhausted.

But I digress. What I was intending to say is that I stopped getting them on prescription as they were cheaper to buy than the price of prescription (unless you are entitled to free prescriptions). So if you are paying, might be worth just buying them and saving yourself the trouble of getting the drs to sign a new prescription.

Seeing @SausageOfAmbiguity post i might try some maltose, bisglycinate if I can buy them in the pharmacy and see if that helps with energy. Thanks

Hope you get some answers OP.

I have low iron, I've been given the liquid version, it tastes nasty but I mix it in with orange juice. Have a few more months to see if it's effective.

Join the iron protocol on Facebook, really helped me when I was in the same position postpartum (you’ll likely need to up your dose). I managed to get my ferritin from 23 to 160 in a few months, I did a mixture of ferrous sulphate (x2 at night with vitamin C and a tablet of heme iron in the morning). GP was very dismissive as heamoglobin was still normal. What strength is the vitamin C you are taking it with? It could be your heavy bleeds are the reason but like others have said your GP should support you to investigate other potential causes, as taking the iron replacement could just be masking an issue.

I have chronic low iron, turns out I have coeliac disease.

Do you drink loads of tea/coffee? I have chronic low iron and I found out last week that tea and coffee reduce iron absorption by up to 90%!! That’s probably my cause. 😱 Am limiting myself now.

Got my retest results back and iron is still low but increased slightly from 36 to 44. I take 1 ferrous fumerate tablet a day with vitamin c after dinner but will increase it to two now.

im just wondering why so many women’s iron levels are so low overall? Is there something collectively wrong? It probably affects lots of women and men who don’t even know it - I wonder if anyone ever has naturally the optimum level of iron?

My cholesterol is still high at 5.67 but has come down from what it was (results aren’t on my record anymore for some reason but I think it was in the 6s).

I have PCOS so wondering if a lot of it is due to that. I am really careful with saturated fat - I don’t have butter, cream or full fat milk and only have skyr yoghurt but still my cholesterol is a battle.

I’ve also noticed my GP doesn’t follow up at all, it’s all driven by me

Good that's your iron has increased. I had my bloods done last week, ferritin is 18 but haemoglobin is still good, but its fallen since the last test so I know it's on its way down again. But the doctor has referred me for a gastroscopy and colonoscopy in case I'm bleeding internally.

My mum had chronic low iron and it was related to her having ckd (chronic kidney disease). Apparently your kidneys produce a hormone related to the production of red blood cells so poor funtion means less red blood cells produced. Also if they're not working properly it affects your ability to absorb iron from food. So maybe ask for kidney function test as well?

This wont work though if youre eating cereal with milk as you shouldn't take iron with calcium as it reduces absorption

OP, I'm on a liquid iron. My results are slowly creeping up, although still on the lower end of the NHS's idea of 'normal' (30 vs an ideal of 70 for menstruating age women)

I take mine on an empty stomach with a glass of orange juice just before bed. Ive found that's working for me so I can still have my morning coffee without it impacting

Ive not RTFT so sorry if I'm repeating anything, but you should look at the rest of your diet, not just food. My 2 main drinks were tea and red wine. Both of which contain tannins which hinder absorption. I've switched to teas with lower tannins and cut red wine out (apart from the occasional glass). Ive tried to increase dietary iron as well as my prescription supplement, but it's important to look at what is more bioavailable, as some sources that are rich in iron aren't actually easily absorbed.

I've had all the palpitations, brain fog, hair fall etc. My doctor has been really thorough at looking at why this is happening, not just treating the fact that it is. I've had ~millions of~ blood tests, ultrasounds, CTs, FIT tests. Been diagnosed with adenomyosis and am pretty convinced I have endo too.

Dont take no for an answer... really focus on the impact that it is having on your life

Good luck getting sorted

Also I went back and read your previous posts... try to space your supplements out...