Ferum Vs Ferritin / Vit D

[Hirri]

Hello, I just got back from endocrinologist due to some bad PMS and anxiety and I was told that I must take iron supplements because my ferritin levels are low (21.8 now) and vitamin D because it's also low (59). I started taking some vitamin D and I think it kept me from sleeping. I told her that so she said to take melatonin
I must say that once I lived in Costa Rica for a year and back to Europe, I had my vitamin levels at 133 and I felt great. However, that was from the tropical sun.

So back to iron, a few years ago it was the same and I remember I also took Ferum lab test and it was in fact above normal (31 or something) and I was told my iron levels were great.

Can anyone tell me which is the measurement to look into? I dont want to take iron supplements and not sure if I should.

In addition, doctor also then said that for PMS and anxiety perhaps I might have low progesterone and high prolactin (DUH.....) so assigned those tests too, I will have them done. But for now I need to decide to take iron or not. same with vitamin D.

 

[redsun]

Hello, I just got back from endocrinologist due to some bad PMS and anxiety and I was told that I must take iron supplements because my ferritin levels are low (21.8 now) and vitamin D because it's also low (59). I started taking some vitamin D and I think it kept me from sleeping. I told her that so she said to take melatonin
I must say that once I lived in Costa Rica for a year and back to Europe, I had my vitamin levels at 133 and I felt great. However, that was from the tropical sun.

So back to iron, a few years ago it was the same and I remember I also took Ferum lab test and it was in fact above normal (31 or something) and I was told my iron levels were great.

Can anyone tell me which is the measurement to look into? I dont want to take iron supplements and not sure if I should.

In addition, doctor also then said that for PMS and anxiety perhaps I might have low progesterone and high prolactin (DUH.....) so assigned those tests too, I will have them done. But for now I need to decide to take iron or not. same with vitamin D.

Very common for women to be low on iron. If your doctor suspects high prolactin is to blame then iron will help considerably since iron is required to make dopamine and dopamine is what inhibits prolactin. Increased dopamine will help reduce anxiety. In general for people (often its women, but men may need it as well) who need iron and take it, it will greatly improve energy levels, thyroid, mood, cognitive function, since iron is so fundamental to those body systems.

I highly suggest you take it and see how you improve from it. Also important to help utilization of iron is nutrient rich foods such as occasional liver, decent amount of meat in diet for protein, fruits (vitamin C, copper), seafood, etc.

 

[Recoen]

Hello, I just got back from endocrinologist due to some bad PMS and anxiety and I was told that I must take iron supplements because my ferritin levels are low (21.8 now) and vitamin D because it's also low (59). I started taking some vitamin D and I think it kept me from sleeping. I told her that so she said to take melatonin
I must say that once I lived in Costa Rica for a year and back to Europe, I had my vitamin levels at 133 and I felt great. However, that was from the tropical sun.

So back to iron, a few years ago it was the same and I remember I also took Ferum lab test and it was in fact above normal (31 or something) and I was told my iron levels were great.

Can anyone tell me which is the measurement to look into? I dont want to take iron supplements and not sure if I should.

In addition, doctor also then said that for PMS and anxiety perhaps I might have low progesterone and high prolactin (DUH.....) so assigned those tests too, I will have them done. But for now I need to decide to take iron or not. same with vitamin D.

What is your diet like? Do you eat liver, steak, etc?

 

[Hirri]

What is your diet like? Do you eat liver, steak, etc?

Steak yes (twice per week), other meat yes, home made broth yes (3-4 times per week), liver no.

 

[Hirri]

Very common for women to be low on iron. If your doctor suspects high prolactin is to blame then iron will help considerably since iron is required to make dopamine and dopamine is what inhibits prolactin. Increased dopamine will help reduce anxiety. In general for people (often its women, but men may need it as well) who need iron and take it, it will greatly improve energy levels, thyroid, mood, cognitive function, since iron is so fundamental to those body systems.

I highly suggest you take it and see how you improve from it. Also important to help utilization of iron is nutrient rich foods such as occasional liver, decent amount of meat in diet for protein, fruits (vitamin C, copper), seafood, etc.

Thanks for your input. What I hear here is that perhaps I should check prolactin levels first and decide then. If they are really high then go for the iron, if not, then maybe not.

 

[Recoen]

Steak yes (twice per week), other meat yes, home made broth yes (3-4 times per week), liver no.

Before going for the iron infusion consider some beef daily. Liver has a good amount of iron and spleen even more if you can get them. I know Peat has questioned the use of things like ancestral organs but some seem to raise their hemoglobin relatively quickly using spleen. Also, the mitochondria make the heme, etc so B vitamins can be really helpful. B1 and B2 help get Fe back out of the cell and into circulation too.

For vitamin D, how much sunlight are you getting? The app dminder can help tell you your theoretical D synthesis.

 

[redsun]

Thanks for your input. What I hear here is that perhaps I should check prolactin levels first and decide then. If they are really high then go for the iron, if not, then maybe not.

You don't need to know prolactin necessarily but you can. If ferritin was already shown low (and because you are a woman, where iron deficiency with or without anemia is very common) thats already enough reason to take it. Iron is not just involved for hemoglobin/blood, but also involved in the tissues for neurotransmitters, and ATP synthesis in the krebs cycle and electron transport chain, antioxidant systems, steroid hormones, etc.

So if you check prolactin even if its good range, ferritin is still low and should be remedied.

 

[Recoen]

You don't need to know prolactin necessarily but you can. If ferritin was already shown low (and because you are a woman, where iron deficiency with or without anemia is very common) thats already enough reason to take it. Iron is not just involved for hemoglobin/blood, but also involved in the tissues for neurotransmitters, and ATP synthesis in the krebs cycle and electron transport chain, antioxidant systems, steroid hormones, etc.

So if you check prolactin even if its good range, ferritin is still low and should be remedied.

Many have more than enough Fe they are unable to use it. Peat has spoken about this many times.
https://www.researchgate.net/profil...oxicity-in-rats.pdf?origin=publication_detail

L-type Ca 2+ channels provide a major pathway for iron entry into cardiomyocytes in iron-overload cardiomyopathy | Nature Medicine









Iron's Dangers

 

[Hirri]

For vitamin D, how much sunlight are you getting? The app dminder can help tell you your theoretical D synthesis.

I get sunlight as much as I can (everyday I spend outside 1 hour minimum during mid day) but I live in Central Europe so it's not much sun here except for the summer months.

 

[Recoen]

I get sunlight as much as I can (everyday I spend outside 1 hour minimum during mid day) but I live in Central Europe so it's not much sun here except for the summer months.

The UV index should be 3 or higher for UVB to be present. If there’s no UVB then you won’t synthesize vit D. Have you considered getting a UVB bulb? There are some threads about them on the forum.

 

[redsun]

Many have more than enough Fe they are unable to use it. Peat has spoken about this many times.
https://www.researchgate.net/profil...oxicity-in-rats.pdf?origin=publication_detail

L-type Ca 2+ channels provide a major pathway for iron entry into cardiomyocytes in iron-overload cardiomyopathy | Nature Medicine









Iron's Dangers

Women are inheritantly more at risk for iron deficiency due to blood loss from menstruation. Anyone can become deficient if they lose too much blood. Also women typically eat less red meats and iron rich sources so total daily iron intake is low. Dietary absorption is very low as is even from heme, and other diet inhibitors can impede absorption. This is all well and good for most men but this combo is very bad for women, which is why ID is so common.

Iron in the diet is good for maintaining what you already have, but some form of supplementation is necessary to increase levels because absorption is so low normally not including absorption inhibitors. Natural foods for this iron would be spleen, blood products like blood sausage but no one consumes those anymore.

 

[Hirri]

The UV index should be 3 or higher for UVB to be present. If there’s no UVB then you won’t synthesize vit D. Have you considered getting a UVB bulb? There are some threads about them on the forum.

Thanks, I will read about it and consider.

 

[Hirri]

Women are inheritantly more at risk for iron deficiency due to blood loss from menstruation. Anyone can become deficient if they lose too much blood. Also women typically eat less red meats and iron rich sources so total daily iron intake is low. Dietary absorption is very low as is even from heme, and other diet inhibitors can impede absorption. This is all well and good for most men but this combo is very bad for women, which is why ID is so common.

Iron in the diet is good for maintaining what you already have, but some form of supplementation is necessary to increase levels because absorption is so low normally not including absorption inhibitors. Natural foods for this iron would be spleen, blood products like blood sausage but no one consumes those anymore.

but is it possible to have low ferritin but normal ferum levels? Because those are different measurements.

 

[redsun]

but is it possible to have low ferritin but normal ferum levels? Because those are different measurements.

Low ferritin generally means low levels of stored iron. Having normal levels of stored iron is important. Serum is circulating iron.