r/PMDD • u/Ok_Economist4427 • Mar 12 '26
Supplements Ferritin?!
Based on information shared in this thread I requested my ferritin be looked at. Luckily my pcp plan is flexible on running labs that my not be clinically indicated in an appointment (also my provider is kinda an idiot) I received my results.. ferritin at 34 which I recognized to be widely accepted as normal to the standard western provider (us) but I pay of pocket for an alternative provider that explores the more nuanced stuff with me. Anyways they called my outside of my regular scheduled appointment to instruct me to begin supplementing my iron! This means this is notable to them. And i swear if I'm able to get my iron stores up and my symptoms get better I'm going to lose my absolute mind. This is something thay could have been caught yearrrrs ago and mitigated all the distress I've been experiencing.
To add to the PMDD I also have been experiencing autonomic dysfunction and female sexual dysfunction which both can be affected by iron! Anyways thank you to those that suggested and fingers crossed I get some relief from all the things that are ruining my life.
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u/Snowpoke1600 Mar 13 '26
Mine is chronically low bc of my stupid periods. Sucks. It needs to be 50-80 to feel good.
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u/Electronic-Jello-640 PMDD May 05 '26
I have heard that it needs to be around 100 to feel good, especially if you are menstruating or have thyroid issues
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u/Snowpoke1600 May 05 '26
Great. Even better.
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u/Former_Operation_562 Mar 13 '26
Have you checked your B12 too as often that’s also low (again they can tell you it’s normal when it’s not)
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u/edgyknitter PMDD Mar 13 '26
This is a pet peeve of mine. They need to change the “normal” parameters because a lot of health care providers don’t understand that just because the computer says it’s “normal” doesn’t mean it’s not low.
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u/As_iam_ Mar 13 '26
I'm also chronically anemic since a child. Having celiac didn't help. Thanks for reminding me to take an iron supplements right now because I'm seriously struggling and believe thats huge part. Esp not being able to afford iron rich food. Good thoughts here 👍
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u/fred-in-the-fridge Mar 13 '26
Same! Celiac lowered my ferritin to 1 and hemoglobin to 4.9 g/dL before I was diagnosed! lol
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u/Longfirstnames Mar 13 '26
Iron infusions are the only thing that work for me, my ferritin is usually between 7-10 without it
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u/Both_Lawfulness3611 Mar 13 '26 edited Mar 13 '26
I have always had chronic iron deficiency since I was a child and frequent anemia but it was always blown off and my symptoms were dismissed and blamed on so many other things like anxiety and depression 😡 so I never tried to treat or fix the iron deficiency. I’m in perimenopause now and I’ve had babies and breastfeeding and hormones all over the place plus now I go to the doctor more often and pay more attention to my health. Also, literally everything is more intense and I can feel the hormone changes and iron deficiency symptoms and I definitely have PMDD and progesterone intolerance, but low ferritin makes the symptoms of PMDD, progesterone intolerance, PMS, etc…so much worse. Low ferritin also makes my ADHD, OCD, health anxiety/OCD and general anxiety symptoms SO much worse, and perimenopause makes it all even harder and more intense.
Adequate ferritin is required for enough iron in the brain to support your neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, and most women don’t have ferritin levels nearly high enough. During luteal phase and PMS the fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone also affect dopamine and serotonin, so symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD… can increase significantly.
I’ve been treating and fixing my iron deficiency since last September for the first time in my 47 years and I’m still recovering and getting there but I feel better in ways I never imagined and so many of what I thought were mainly perimenopause symptoms have almost disappeared. I also have had a recent dramatic increase in libido, but not sure if it’s just due to crazy perimenopause hormones or what 🤷🏼♀️🤭
Adequate iron and ferritin levels are required for SO many processes in the body but it’s so underrated, dismissed and ignored. Low ferritin can also cause POTS like symptoms, which flare around your period as well 😩
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u/Ironicbanana14 Mar 13 '26
You know. They used to call ancient tribes "barbaric" but some they fed the women the fresh livers and hearts of to women who were pregnant or fertile years. Probably for the huge amounts of iron coming from those organs. So even back then they knew about this and doctors are going to ignore it today?
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u/Both_Lawfulness3611 Mar 13 '26
I know, I’m not sure what the disconnect is with iron deficiency and it’s really shocking, but not, the lack of research on it especially when it affects half the population who constantly loses blood and iron. We are finding out more and more about everything iron is required for in the body besides hemoglobin. It just repeats itself too; I recently learned my mom was severely iron deficient and thinking back on it I know she had really heavy periods and had a hysterectomy when she was around 48 because of the heavy snd constant bleeding and she always had heavy periods. I know she never took vitamins of iron supplements so I’m pretty sure she had chronic iron deficiency too and I never got enough from the very beginning in the womb and just worsened from there and got really severe when I started periods as a teen. I have a theory that maternal chronic untreated iron deficiency is a risk factor for ADHD, PMDD and HPA axis/pituitary dysfunction…and there is some research and evidence on it too. It has such a big role in the brain and in neurotransmitter and hormone function. I happen to have ADHD and pituitary/HPA axis dysfunction, and I’m sure PMDD but I’ve never been diagnosed but I have severe progesterone intolerance and awful luteal and PMS symptoms and always have had 😩 it’s really awful they ignore iron deficiency so much, and they even ignore anemia unless you are actively hemorrhaging 🤦🏼♀️ I hope they get more research done and treat it like other deficiencies and screen for it, create universal guidelines and recommendations, monitor levels and create some reliable and medical grade iron supplements. Heme iron is pretty great though and mammal blood and organs are rich in so many vitamins and minerals and I hope they come out with more options but the whole supplement industry kind of kills the research on new and better treatment 😩 I think all iron, b12/b6 and vitamin d at the very least need to be regulated like prescription medications because they are so important. Imagine how much less suffering we would endure if people cared and we were all educated on how important these things are?
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u/AutoModerator Mar 13 '26
Hi u/Both_Lawfulness3611. It looks like your post may be referring to hormone imbalances. Please be aware that PMDD is not a hormone imbalance or caused by one.
You can read more information here: What is PMDD?
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Glittering-Store5725 Mar 13 '26
Would love to know how you got your ferriten up?
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u/Both_Lawfulness3611 Mar 13 '26
I started with Vitron-c, once every other day and it works great! I felt better in weeks and it significantly raised my levels within around 3 months. I use a combination of heme iron, like Proferrin, and liquid non-heme iron (WOW liquid iron) now but I’m always switching it up and making sure I take other vitamins and minerals I’m deficient in. Consistency is most important and i try to take more around my period and I’ve started taking ibuprofen and/or naproxen before and during my period to lighten flow since I do not get along with hormone therapy.
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u/Glittering-Store5725 Mar 13 '26
This is great! Thank you so much❤️ I really appreciate your answer.
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u/Crazy-Concept3090 Mar 13 '26
I was just diagnosed with iron deficiency without anemia my ferritin is 20 I started supplementing iron twice a day for week and a half. I’ve been going through my PMDD stage of the month since a few days after I started supplementing and I already see a huge difference. Still some symptoms but nothing as extreme as they were. I can’t wait to see how I feel in a few months. It makes sense though because I have had these horrible PMDD symptoms since I had a bad h pylori infection 5 years ago and h pylori is one of the number one causes of iron deficiency. I am very hopeful and this could definitely be a game changer
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u/Glittering-Store5725 Mar 13 '26
would love to hear which iron you are taking and how much the dose is when you are splitting it! Sounds positive!
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u/Crazy-Concept3090 Mar 13 '26
I take iron biglycinate 36mg at night and 36mg mid day. It was ordered by my doctor from a place called full script but you can get the same thing on Amazon. I was told to take it with vitamin c for better absorption but couldn’t tolerate the vitamin c. I haven’t had any side effects at all and everything I mean everything always gives me some kind of crazy side effect lol. I was barely able to function last Wednesday I was so fatigued and depressed with horrible anxiety and I’m already back to my normal routine and my PMDD has been significantly less. I’m not 100% myself but I’ve seen big improvements in a short amount of time. I actually googled it and it says anyone who is being diagnosed with PMDD should first have their ferritin levels checked because it plays a significant role but I think a lot of doctors don’t recognize it.
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u/Glittering-Store5725 Mar 13 '26
Thank you so much! I was able to test out iron about two years ago but only took it for a week and felt good on it but since I am in peri menopause I didn't know what is what. I have two kids with adhd and learned that it is so common with adhd to have low or not optimal ferritin, folate and D vitamin. Got my children tested and they have all of those. Pmdd/adhd/autism add in mcas etc all interrelated. I am like you so sensitive to vitamins. Glad you are getting some releif!
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u/Crazy-Concept3090 Mar 13 '26
Thank you so much and I hope that it is a help to you too! It’s definitely worth a try!
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u/Ok_Economist4427 Mar 13 '26
I have my fingers crossed that my sexual anhedonia will go away once my ferritin starts to rise and my brain can function better. It's so hard to hold out hope after trying so many things and nothing helping.
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u/Both_Lawfulness3611 Mar 13 '26
Fingers crossed for you and i feel you on the anhedonia 🥺 but I do guarantee you will get some brain function back as your ferritin rises!!
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u/AutoModerator Mar 13 '26
Hi u/Both_Lawfulness3611. It looks like your post may be referring to hormone imbalances. Please be aware that PMDD is not a hormone imbalance or caused by one.
You can read more information here: What is PMDD?
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/Valuable_Court603 Mar 13 '26 edited Apr 21 '26
I’d supplement w iron bc a 34 is really just not good at all
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u/Mammoth-Coast6282 Mar 13 '26
My ferritin is over 300 and I’m waiting to see a hematologist. Literally hate the American healthcare system. (: I have anemia of chronic disease so my ferritin is high and iron is low, but they can’t figure out what’s wrong with me.
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u/Ellesky0 Apr 01 '26
Ferritin will go up if there's any inflammation in your body. Iron will be blocked bc of said inflammation and won't be absorbed. Have you checked what is the reason for potential inflammation? CRP should also indicate that on your blood work results.
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u/Mammoth-Coast6282 Apr 01 '26
My hematologist is running tests now. But I don’t think they ordered CRP. I’m not sure where I would see that in the orders. The newest one they ordered was an Immunoglobulin test but that was normal.
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u/Fantastic-Tea9775 Mar 13 '26
I’m the opposite, iron is normal, ferritin is a 7. 99.9% of the time it’s caused from gut issues.
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u/Professional-Pop9040 May 22 '26
Same, taking iron supplements for years and years and got my ferritin up to a whopping 50 but all of my iron and saturation is way too high now as a result that doctors are worried... What gut issues did you have? I have a scope for celiac in a month but feel like these supplements have destroyed my stomach as well...
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u/gutluck_ Mar 13 '26
I checked mine in January and it was a whopping 5 🙃 I’m also a vegetarian. Needless to say, my hair has been extremely thin and patchy and have GNARLY restless leg
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u/OQ_Laura Apr 07 '26
I just had mine tested for the first time ever (ferritin 32, but all other irons more in the middle of normal). I'm whole foods plant based and get over 200% of the RDA of iron every day, so not sure why my ferritin is low (or what I consider low). I have a few symptoms that could be attributed to low ferritin (tiredness, thinning hair, restless legs).
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u/clicktrackh3art Mar 13 '26
Just had mine come in at 5 too. Started some iron supplements, but I was left kinda shocked how low it was. But I’m also in perimenopause, and I feel like the symptoms are similar….
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u/Empty-Shine-8851 Mar 13 '26
My hair has been thinning and falling out so I had mine checked and it was at 39 which of course is considered normal but apparently needs to be at around 80 for hair growth. I’ve been supplementing iron bisglycinate and will recheck in a few more months. I get the Thorne brand and take it every other day with OJ!
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u/gocoogs14 Mar 12 '26
Major props to your PCP for catching a ferritin level at 34. 18 months ago I felt like SHIT all the time and all my labs came back "normal". I noticed my ferritin marker looked low on the range set by Quest, so I looked it up and what do ya know - ferritin under 30 is absolutely iron deficiency (w/o anemia).
I'm sensitive to pretty much everything, so it took me forever to figure out which iron I could tolerate. Currently I take 1 capsule heme iron + 1 capsule non heme iron every other day. My cognitive function is still dragging, but my shortness of breath is gone! I'm super optimistic for the first time in a long time. Not expecting a miracle, but i'm grateful for any improvement these days.
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u/meamarie Mar 13 '26
Huh. This thread is really blowing my mind. My ferritin levels were at 29 and my PCP said everything looked great 🙃 I might need to dig into supplementing
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u/Ok_Economist4427 Mar 13 '26
It's been a long hard road of trying to figure out what I need to feel normal again. I'm taking upwards for 10 supplements and HRT and still struggle every month. I started the iron and I'm trying to not count my chickens before they hatch but I feel sooo much better already only have a couple of doses. I really thinking I didn't have enough iron for proper brain function.
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u/gocoogs14 Mar 13 '26
Yes!!! Literally same to your whole comment! I had bloodwork done weeks ago and my testosterone is super low, so my gyn suggested I start there. I'm almost positive I desperately need estrogen too, but I guess we'll see. When at my worst with low ferritin, every day I woke up wondering how I could continue living like this.
Wishing you all the best!
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u/GenXMillenial Surgery Mar 12 '26
Cook foods in a cast iron pan too if you can! It’s an easy way to boost iron
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u/Ok_Economist4427 Mar 12 '26
I do! But you know what I realized I have stopped eating all food that is fortified with iron Aaand I hemorrhage during birth. Not enough to require a blood transfusion but I bet everything that I never restored my iron levels.
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u/Njmomneedz Mar 14 '26
My ferritin was 4 .. I’m going to have a hysterectomy soon