Understanding blood test results

[M0therBear]

This is my first ever post in Mumsnet, and I am hoping you can help me.

I had my baby 8 months ago, and I breastfeed him. I haemorrhaged during the birth, so needed to take iron tablets for the first three months postpartum and felt stronger for it.

Over the last couple of months I haven’t felt well, I am bruising super easily, and I think I am anaemic so my GP ordered some blood tests. I have seen the results in the NHS app. They are supposedly “normal”, so the receptionist doesn’t want to give me an appointment to discuss them with the GP. But some of the results look like they are on cusp of not being “normal”. Can anyone help me understand them and how to persuade the receptionist to let me see a GP? Feeling unwell is really getting me down. Here are just some of the results:

Serum ferritin: 19 ug/L

Haematocrit: 0.37

Haemoglobin estimation: 125 g/l

Red blood cell count: 4.07 10*12/L

Serum B12: 250 ng/L

Platelet count: 185 10*9/L

Lymphocyte count: 1.4 10*9/L

Monocyte count: 0.2 10*9/L

HbA1c levl - IFCC standardised: 36 mmol/mol

Partial thromboplastin time: 35.1 s

Nice guidelines say to treat ferritin <30.
You would feel a lot better if you could boost it to over 50 at least. Iirc it needs to be >70 for healthy hair growth. GP’s will just say ‘normal’ if it’s within the labs reference range though. Just buy some high strength iron. You can get ferrous fumerate OTC, although iron bisglycinate has better bioavailability and less side effects.

I agree with the previous poster, my ferritin levels came back at 16 and said normal on the app but when I spoke to the GP she advised supplements. I was also tested for serum Vitamin B12 and serum Vitamin D and they both came back borderline deficient too.

Thank you, I really appreciate the advice!

Thank you! How long did it take you to feel better?

My serum ferritin at its lowest was 7 (severe postmenopausal bleeding due to large fibroids and endometrial hyperplasia). My symptoms (and my low ferritin and haemoglobin levels and other iron related blood test abnormalities) started to improve after around 3 weeks after starting on ferrous sulphate - which you can buy over the counter.