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Blood test - Iron level is 33 but they say i'm not anaemic

Posted , 8 users are following.

katie10567
katie10567

[u]Hello, Please can someone help?

I had a blood test and got results today. Everything looks good-excellent, apart from Iron. My level was 33 which is quite low. Although gp says im not anaemic. I take a good multi vitamin and eat well, lots of leafy smile

Katieg etcs. Could there be an underlying reason why it is so low?

thank you[/u]

1 like, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • nicola66824
    nicola66824 katie10567

    Posted

    Hi do you mean ferritin level is 33. I have recently had a result of 13 and having to take iron 3 times a day. When I have looked on here others say really you need levels above 50 yet my doctor said the only other time I had my ferritin level tested was 2009 and it was only 29 but she said that was obviously my normal level. I am not sure I actually agree and wonder if actually I should of been treated then and it got missed. How are you feeling in yourself? I will be interested to see other replies.
    • katie10567
      katie10567 nicola66824

      Posted

      Hi Nicola,

      I'm not sure if it was the ferritin level unfortnuately as the gp just said "Iron level". He said it can range from 11 to 300. I feel generally okay although I have been feeling more tired than usual for the last few months. Im wondering if there is an underlying issue causing it to be so low? the gp reccomended I just continue to take my regular multi vitamin but i'm not so sure. Was thinking about taking an additional iron supplement but I dont want to encourage side effects from Iron overdose. Do you take a multi vitamin in addition to the iron tablets?

  • nicola66824
    nicola66824 katie10567

    Posted

    Hi Katie no I just take the iron and I have to have another blood test in 2 months to see if they are working. I too have felt unusually tired. 😞
  • Sandy07
    Sandy07 katie10567

    Posted

    Hi, I had a ferritin level of 24 and the Dr said it was normal. Although as the upper range is so high, I thought it was on the low side of normal. I asked the Dr and said it wouldn't hurt to take an iron tablet for a few months as my periods had been so heavy. My periods have stopped now so ive stopped the iron. Xx
  • lizzyluv
    lizzyluv katie10567

    Posted

    Hi Katie10567

    I'd suggest you give your dr a call back and get yourself a copy of your test results. It is important to find out exactly what they tested, was it ferritin, iron serum, iron saturation etc? You definitely can have an iron deficiency and not be anaemic, other things such as your hemoglobin, MCV, MCH, RDW, RBC are taken into account to determine if you are anemic or not.

    A level of 30 doesnt sound very low if the scale given by your doctor is 11- 300 that means that anything within that range is considered "normal" not to be confused with ideal. You dont want your level to be up there in the 200 as an iron overload is worse than a deficiency from what I gathered. You could probably benefit from takin a multi vitamin that has a good amount of iron to bring it up a bit. If it is ferritin then you should definitely take some iron supplements to increase your levels to 50-60 as that is the "ideal" level for most women.

    Do you take any anti acid medicine? some block your body's ability to absorb certain vitamins and minerals like iron. If you take a lot of calcium that can also affect your body's ability to store iron. If you have heavy periods that can also cause a deficiency.

    Hope you feel better smile Good luck!

    • katie10567
      katie10567 lizzyluv

      Posted

      Hi Lizzy,thank you for your help, great info :-) I dont take anti acid medicine or lots of calcium, just a multi vitamin. I might try another type to see if that changes anything.
    • katie10567
      katie10567 lizzyluv

      Posted

      Hello again guys, I got a print out of m blood report says the following re and  says the following re Ferritin: 31 ug/L

      funnily enough, the receptionist commented that my cholesterol is a cause for concern - something the gp never mentioned yesterday! any ideas on these figures please? Serum cholesterol level: 5.19 mmol/L serum HDL cholesterol level: 1.02 mmol/L Serum LDL cholesterol level 3.1 mmol/L Serum cholesterol level/HDL ratio: 5.1

      Thank you in advance! :-) xx

    • lizzyluv
      lizzyluv katie10567

      Posted

      Hey Katie,

      I am not sure about the cholesterol, odd that your dr didn't mention it. Maybe you don't need any meds for it, sometimes even if it's a bit out of the normal range you can manage it with a better diet and exercise but see if you can talk to your dr or at least a nurse in his practice to explain the numbers.

      Your ferritin could definitely be making you tired. Optimal level is around 50 so I'd encourage you to take iron supplements. Maybe continue to take a multivitamin WITHOUT iron regularly and then take iron supplements apart, do not take them at the same time you do the multivitamin as it will not absorb properly. If you can take it together with vit C that will aid absorption, I take a supplement called Blood Builder it has vit C as well as Iron and it has been the only one that hasn't given me stomach issues and my levels have improved greatly since starting it.

      You also want to avoid drinking coffee close to the time you take iron as that makes it harder for your body to absorb it.

    • katie10567
      katie10567 lizzyluv

      Posted

      Hi Lizzie,

      wow thank you so much for that info. You have been so helpful. I will follow your advice smile

       

    • lizzyluv
      lizzyluv katie10567

      Posted

      You are welcome! Unfortunately I've been dealing with a bad case of iron deficiency anemia for almost a year so you pick up a lot of good information lol
    • mayday35
      mayday35 lizzyluv

      Posted

      lizzyluv  You are right about blocking the absorption of iron; also watch your intake of E338! This is found in such as Coca Light!  In kids it can cause hyperactivity which we see a lot of these days. Do take care to read these E numbers. You can find them all listed online. Take a printout with you and if you have kids, do not allow them Coca Light. Meantime even if you don't like them, do eat sprouts and spinach. Much better to take iron in its natural form.
    • mayday35
      mayday35 katie10567

      Posted

      Katie I don't understand. You write that your level is at 13 and that your doctor has said it is normal if between 11 and 300! You are within! The spectrum is huge and this does not mean you need supplements. It seems you do not believe your doctor or are determined to believe you are not within the recognized norm. 
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