Are these blood test levels worrying?

[TTCbaby2x]

GP has asked me to make a telephone appointment following these blood test results. Should I be worried?

A quick google suggests it’s iron deficiency, the gp will have options to support improving your iron stores e.g diet, supplements or iron infusion.

My ferritin was less than three last year and I was barely functioning. Are you fatigued?

Often low ferritin will be ignored if haemoglobin is ok, but it absolutely shouldn't be.

There's a Facebook group called the Iron Protocol which contains good info.

I fainted last Saturday so that was the reason for this blood test, I am always tired and suffer with headaches. I went on my blood test history and my levels have never been higher than 11 in 3 years, twice it has been 4, a year ago and today’s results.. it looks like my hasmoglobin is dropping now too.. I’ve been on iron supplements before but again levels have never been higher than 11. Is this just a case of maybe needing an iron transfusion? Or should this be being looked into more? Drs always don’t seemed concerned so I don’t know if I should be or not?

Your ferritin level is way too low. I would expect a prescription for some iron tablets, immediately.

What is your haemoglobin now? In my area, GPs won't prescribe anything and just tell you to buy the tablets from the pharmacy yourself, even if ferritin is very low. Only if Hb is very low too and not coming up, then they might refer you. But they'll definitely tell you to try supplements with ferritin that low.

@Whataflippincircusno prescription has been put through, just a telephone app in 2 weeks time

I wouldn’t wait. My ferritin was 28 and they treated me straight away.

haemoglobin(MCH) is 24.7 pg, prev reading in October 2025 was 28 pg

@Whataflippincircuswould the chemist help if I show them my results? I won’t be able to speak to my gp until the phone app, they aren’t very good and always booked up

@Monetsbridgehaemoglobin(MCH) is 24.7 pg, prev reading in October 2025 was 28 pg

My Serum Ferritin was 6 last last year. I was exhausted. But functioning.

I didn't react well to Iron tablets, so with my GP's advice, had an iron transfusion (I paid for this privately) and then daily liquid iron supplements (Spatone, bought from Amazon for about £14). Six months later my SF reading was a whopping 35!

I am still tired (my doc says that people an experience tiredness up to a SF level of 60). But I feel less medically tired.

The question is, why your iron levels are so low. For me it was fairly obviously the massively awful periods I was having (also stopped by going on the pill).

Your ferritin is dire, for example for hair growth it needs to be over 75
they’ll likely give you iron tablets, take them with vitamin c and every other day if you struggle with any side effects
if your ferritin gets to say 30 and they say it’s fine and stop the tablets, don’t. You can buy them online via a chemist or in a chemist in person and keep taking them until your ferritin gets to a decent level (75-100)

You need to find out what your actual haemoglobin result is. Your MCV and MCH are not your Hb.

If your Hb is low you can request an iron infusion in our area as that is iron deficiency with anaemia, but if your hb is normal then you have iron deficiency without anemia.

Either way with that Ferritin you must feel absolutely awful. Start taking any form of iron supplement you can tolerate immediately!

Read up on low ferritin in women.

@AardvarksNoseHaemoglobin estimation 119 g/L, October 2025 it was 139 g/L

(Not a medic, just have a history of low ferritin :)) Do you have heavy periods? You could consider if you are not eating iron rich food or if you are, if there are issues absorbing iron. No harm asking in the chemist, as you do need to get that level up to feel better. Have you had thyroid bloods done? Worth looking at hypothyroid symptoms & ferritin link. Don't be fobbed off by the GP you deserve to feel better. You could consider a private haematology appointment.

I felt dreadful when my ferritin was 11. I went to my pharmacy with my blood test results and got iron tablets OTC and said I’d be following up with my GP.
Key question is why it’s so low though? Have you had any investigations? Heavy periods an issue. Iron tablets or an infusion will help but it’s treating the symptoms, not the cause. Possible causes like digestive system issues, coeliac disease should be investigated with levels that low.

That is extremely low ferritin. I would be pushing for an earlier appointment at that low a level. Mine was 30 and I looked grey and was perma-knackered. I've since been taking 32mg of iron ( I went with gentle iron which is a more expensive, lower, dose as I was worried about how my tummy would react) a day for 6 months and feel and look like a different person.

I would also get yourself some iron supplements right now and start taking them. Split the dose across the day if you can. Take at least 500mg vit c with each dose (it helps convert and keep the iron from a 3+ to a 2+ state which makes it way more absorbable). It's worth starting to eat more red meat if you can as haem iron in meat is also very absorbable. Don't drink tea or coffee within a couple of hours of taking the iron as the tannins in them bind to the iron molecules and stop them being absorbed.

I’m confused why the gp has never found my levels to be concerning with all of your responses telling me they are extremely low. I’ve always been told ‘ye your iron is a little low, here is some iron tablets’ I’ve had a reading of 4 twice, again the gp never showed a concern, I have never had a reading above 11 in 3 years if not longer (results only show last 3 years).

Probably because many a GP will only be concerned with Haemoglobin and if that is in range they aren't too concerned about ferritin. BUT, low ferritin can really impact how you feel. Worth researching it.

What iron tablets did you have before? They are all available to buy at the pharmacy so you can just buy the ones you used previously.

If the cause is heavy periods you will be fighting a losing battle to top up when you lose a lot of iron every month so unless you are TTC you need to discuss options with you GP to reduce your bleeding.

@AnnaMagnanimy periods I wouldn’t class as heavy. They defiantly aren’t light but not heavier enough for me to be concerned about them so I don’t think it would be my periods.. prev medication prescribed was ferrous sulfate 200mg

Agreed with this. It's called iron deficiency without anaemia. There's very little discussion of it in the UK. This is the only UK specific document I can find and it has just a few lines on it.

www.ruh.nhs.uk/pathology/documents/clinical_guidelines/HAEM_Ferritin_a_guide_for_GPs.pdf