[QUOTE=ElleDi;3588936]it just doesn't seem scientifically correct to call a range of 10 – 291 "normal" because how could one person with 29 times the iron level of the other both be normal?
This range is also different according to the lab used. My lab value for ferritin is 13-150 and 10-291, what a difference. They just consider anything "within range" to be normal.
Anyway.
My ferritin went from a 9 last year (18 months ago) to a 24 this year. Yay.
But with a high normal being 291, my 24 still seems very low. I read where another woman took iron when her ferritin dipped below 70.
I finally got my Endo to answer that question and even he admitted that he was no expert in ferritin and said 45-50. My Hematologist said over 10 and under 1000. It just gets crazy. When trying to find out they act like I'm crazy for wanting to know.
I guess my question is-- what's
really normal and healthy?
And after a year of working on it, can I hope to get over 24 or does the body just find it's own "normal"?
And should I expect it to take another 18 months to get higher, if that's even possible?
I have read on the net "70" for health is a good number. I have been working on it for over a year and I continue to supplement and my ferritin also continues to rise. Eventually if you are not having a problem you would need to discontinue supplements and your body would level out eventually. However, I was told that I have malabsorption and that I am married to iron supplements. I takes time to raise the ferritin to a healthy level which is different for everyone.
One final thing... this sounds stupid but.. does menstruation continue to "drain" my ferritin levels each month? I have this vision of me getting my ferritin to 50 over the first 3 weeks, then watching it plummet one week a month. Is that how it works or no?
The amount of iron that is lost must be replaced by the intake from your diet. When this amount is not enough a negative iron balance. This is when the iron stores are used by the body, a special mechanism that knows when to pull from the ferritin stores, this is used to make up the deficit whatever that may be a lot or a little. If you are having heavy bleeding I have read that you should supplement with double iron on those days so that this situation does not occur. Until the problem is fixed it will continue to happen. FLFLOWERGIRL
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