PSA: Are you female? Are you a vegetarian? Is your performance suffering? CHECK YOUR FERRITIN!!!

@cotta My understanding is that since ferritin is a measure of iron stores, it's normal for iron to be normal while ferritin is low (it was true for me). Here's an explanation I found online:

The development of iron deficiency anemia is a gradual process. If your body is not taking in enough iron, your body first uses the iron that is stored in tissues (i.e., ferritin) and blood levels of ferritin will begin to decrease. If not corrected, the stored iron begins to be depleted as it is used in the production of red blood cells. In the early stages of iron-deficiency, blood levels of iron can be normal while stored iron, and therefore ferritin levels, will begin to decrease. source
 
@vlo thanks for this! so this would indicate minor (or beginning) iron-deficiency then? i.e. i've depleted my stores and am receiving inadequate amounts through my diet.
 
@vlo This just blew my mind!!! I started taking iron supplements in the winter while I wasn’t running as much, then when I started running again a couple months ago, my mile pace is like 30 seconds faster and I don’t even feel like I’m trying as hard?? I never even considered that the iron could be the source of this!
 
@vlo I always have to say this when iron deficiency comes up, please ask to be tested for coeliac disease if you find out you're anaemic! I only found out I have coeliac because I wanted to get my iron levels checked before donating blood. I had no obvious digestive issues, just fatigue, some bloating and hair loss (and uh... toenail loss... Don't ask). I'm also vegetarian, have heavy/painful periods and I've had low iron every time it's been checked since I was a teenager. I'm just lucky that I finally found a good GP who decided to actually figure out why I was anaemic. I had an iron infusion a year ago and now my levels are perfect.
 
@vlo I posted about this back in the fall! I was oh-shit-your-hair-is-going-to-fall-out low (14, I think, so still shifter than you). Getting on supplements was life changing! I felt like I was cheating on my bike rides.
 
@vlo I recently started getting so lightheaded and tired during workouts that I had to stop early or risk falling over. After taking supplements for a few weeks I had my iron levels checked and I'm in range now (but barely, at 17 ng/ul). I hope the levels will keep going up.
 
@vlo I had a very similar experience, although I'm not a vegetarian. (I don't eat much red meat though.) So, you don't have to be a vegetarian for this to be an issue!
 
@vlo I had a doctor blow me off when I made an appointment for feeling tired, seeing stars while running, and having poor results from training. “Everyone is tired,” she said. Saw another doctor. My ferritin was 7. Definitely best to check it!
 
@dawn16 Same thing happened to a friend of mine. She complained of being tired and was told by her doctor that was called “having three kids.” I told her to get a 2nd opinion and she did. Turns out it’s called “iron deficiency.”
 
My doc told me I was “too young to have any mineral or hormonal issues” and refused to send for a blood panel.

Doctors are stupid sometimes.
 
@yusha I didn’t, but I totally should have. Now my insurance is different anyway so I can’t see the same doctor even if I wanted to.
 
@dawn16 Also had this experience. Doctor actually laughed at me and said, "It's called life."

Moved to another physician group. Ferritin was 11. Am being prescribed infusions that I start on Saturday.
 
@pastorgs Well see now I'm confused, because looking at a blood panel I had done a year ago my ferritin is 17, but it says the acceptable/reference range is 5-204 so nothing happened about it. Is the range accepted by physicians really that far off from what's actually healthy?
 
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