I seem to have low Iorn, but my Doctor didn’t say anything to me about it

[jingshenbianxi]

Iron * 7.3 (10.0 - 30.0) umol/L
Transferrin * 1.97 (2.10 - 3.80) g/L
Saturation 15 (15 - 45)

Ferritin 40 (30 - 200)

What does this mean? I can’t get an appointment for a few weeks. I was going to try and conceive TODAY.. could someone please explain what this means? I’m not asking for medical advice, just someone to explain what level of Iorn is safe for trying to conceive.

The results with the asterix were the ones that were red / out of range.

 

[darlingdaughter]

@jingshenbianxi You’re fine. Iron and transferrin on their own are poor indicators of total body iron stores. Transferrin saturation is more helpful. And a normal ferritin, in the absence of acute illness or injury, makes iron deficiency unlikely.

Some iron supplements here won’t hurt but nothing here is at unsafe levels.

 

[jingshenbianxi]

@darlingdaughter Thank you My saturation is borderline. I’m so confused because I had my Iorn checked in November and it was all good. I had one cycle since and it was mainly spotting. I’m not sure if that was because of low Iorn or causing low Iorn (maybe endo)? Not sure.. also don’t expect you to know either as it’s not enough info to diagnose anything. I’m not asking for a diagnosis (just curious on whether anyone else has had a similar experience).

 

[jegmimi]

@jingshenbianxi Just letting you know, it's spelled *iron

 

[jingshenbianxi]

@jegmimi Thanks, hopefully I can remember that

 

[zookeeper944]

@jingshenbianxi How are you feeling? Having any feelings of dizziness, low oxygen, exhaustion, weakness? Having had very, very low iron and transferrin levels myself, the treatment plan was to supplement iron daily for several months until levels were back in the normal range. Don’t take iron within a couple hours of having food or drink high in calcium, which inhibits absorption. Take iron with acidic foods/drinks to improve absorption.

 

[jingshenbianxi]

@zookeeper944 Thank you. Do you think it’s best to wait to try and conceive? I’ve been feeling alright

 

[zookeeper944]

@jingshenbianxi No, I don’t think you should wait. Your iron isn’t low enough to be a problem. The prenatal vitamins you should be taking already should have extra iron. Low iron in pregnancy is common enough anyway. Just have the doctor keep an eye on it and supplement.

 

[blakejm]

@jingshenbianxi My iron level was 3 when I conceived my last baby. No issues, My doctor just prescribed an iron supplement.