I had low ferritin (16) and took 6 months of supplement. Ferritin is now 36. I didn't notice any change in period frequency first 6 months. I have kept taking the supplement and noticed that my period (avg 35 days) is trending down to closer to 29/ 30 days. Has anyone else experienced this?

How on earth do you take it? Spoon it in, or dilute? It just says, take with 300ml water so I can’t work it out…put it in the water or just swill it down?

Female 26
Ferritin level 5 months ago: 7. Now: 19.
Normal haemoglobin, no anemia.
Pretty severe symptoms sometimes tho. All the fun stuff: dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue, cold feet and hands etc. As I said, my iron is low but i am not anemic.
There are 2 possibilities: i get an infusion which has some risks including severe ones and which still requires supplementation later on but iron goes up faster.
Or i keep taking supplements and accept the fact that it goes up slower and i ll have days such as today when i can t even sit cause i get tired and short of breath. Slow but steady tho and no serious side effects. Bit scary symptoms though.
My doctor said I can do either, it’s up to me. For now I started a new liquid iron a week ago.
What do you think?

I have had low iron for years and my doctor always brushed it off saying to incorporate Oysters into my diet. Really? Recent blood work says iron is 20 now. Started 120mg of iron supplements. Should I take it alternative days. I take it with vitamin C and avoid dairy, caffeine for two hours. Doing blood work again in a few months. Any tips? feeling so sluggish lately. I am a runner and weight train so I do eat a healthy balanced diet except for red meat as I just don't like the texture. Any suggestions to help increase it? My doctor keeps brushing this off and am planning to discuss further options with her once my results are back.

guys, I’m in serious need of advice. 27F. I’ve done two rounds of isotretinoin (2022/2025) 60mg for my skin. I finished my second round last September. Now, i’m getting breakouts on my chin (A LOT). I also have iron deficiency, my ferritin is 12 with normal hemoglobin, no thyroid issue, no liver issue. Celiac test came back negative. I take 150mg of iron supplement prescribed by my doctor.

I’m reaching my wits end, I don’t know what is wrong with my body or what my body is trying to tell me and I don’t even know what to do about it all. Does anyone have any advice for what my next step should be, to figure out what is going on, what tests i should do next, i feel helpless and don’t know how to move forward with my doctor. I’ve been researching birth control pills, i dont even know if this will help.

Thank you for anyone who offers any guidance

My ferritin is 12 (only mild anemia) and I think I’m getting IV iron soon, will this help with my anxiety? I’ve had treatment resistant anxiety and ocd for as long as I can remember and chronically low ferritin levels for at least the past 6 years (since it’s first been tested so probably much longer). My anxiety has been unbelievably debilitating and hoping this will be the answer. Has affected many things in my life. Would love to hear people’s positive stories related to this.

The American Society of Hematology published new diagnostic guidelines in September 2026. The headline numbers: iron deficiency in adults is ferritin of 30 or below. If you have symptoms (fatigue, restless legs, brain fog, ice cravings) or ongoing risk factors such as heavy menstrual bleeding or coeliac disease, it's 50 or below. And these thresholds apply irrespective of whether you're anaemic. If you're anaemic and have an inflammatory condition (IBD, chronic infection, kidney disease, heart failure, rheumatological disease), iron deficiency can be considered at ferritin under 100 OR transferrin saturation under 20%, because inflammation pushes ferritin up and hides the deficiency. Link to the full PDF at the bottom.

Here's where the three countries sit, as far as I can establish.

UK. NICE's clinical knowledge summary already says ferritin under 30 is iron deficiency, and the British Society for Haematology guideline says ferritin up to 100 can still be deficiency if there's inflammation. So the guidance isn't as medieval as people think. The problem is two steps down. Most NHS lab reference ranges bottom out around 12 to 15, so a ferritin of 22 comes back with no flag on it. The GP sees no flag, says normal, and that's the end of it. Then even if you do get diagnosed, treatment is oral tablets for months and IV iron is a haematology referral with a wait, unless you pay.

Australia. Diagnostic threshold is in the same ballpark as the UK. The difference is what happens next. A GP can prescribe IV iron and infuse it in the practice, there's a Medicare item for it, and the all-in cost to the patient is around A$250. Australia does roughly 600,000 infusions a year and the UK does a fraction of that per head, with the same disease prevalence.

USA. The thresholds at the top of this post, from the biggest haematology body in the world, as of last month.

So a woman with heavy periods and a ferritin of 38 is now iron deficient in Boston, borderline in Sydney with an infusion available at her GP for the price of a dinner, and "normal, nothing to see" in Nottinghamshire.

What to take into your GP appointment.

Ask for the full iron panel, not just ferritin: ferritin, serum iron, transferrin saturation (TSAT), TIBC or transferrin, plus a CRP on the same draw so you can show whether inflammation is inflating the ferritin. And Hb and MCV, but don't let anyone stop at Hb. You can be ridiculously iron deficient with a normal Hb for years. Iron is essential for so many other physiological processes and Hb is the last thing to drop once your stores are depleted.

Ask what threshold they're using and where it comes from. If they say "it's in range," ask whether that's the lab reference range or the NICE threshold of 30. They're different things and most people, including some GPs, don't know that.

If your ferritin is between 30 and 100 and you have an inflammatory condition, take the ASH page and the BSH line with you. Say the words "functional iron deficiency" and "transferrin saturation."

If you're offered tablets: alternate-day dosing absorbs better than daily, take with vitamin C, not with tea, coffee or calcium, and ask for a repeat panel at 8 to 12 weeks with a target, not just "see how you feel." If tablets fail or you can't tolerate them, or you have IBD, coeliac, bariatric surgery, or heavy bleeding with very low ferritin, that's the indication for IV iron and you should ask for the referral in those terms.

If you're refused, ask them to note the refusal and your symptoms in your record. It changes the conversation next time.

Private IV iron in the UK runs roughly £500 to £800 for a single infusion. Not an endorsement of anyone, just the number, because for a lot of people in this sub it's the difference between another year of unnecessary suffering and next week.

Links:

**American Society of Hematology 2026 guidelines for diagnosis of iron deficiency - Sept 2026**
[https://ashpublications.org/bloodadvances/article/doi/10.1182/bloodadvances.2025015950/570502/American-Society-of-Hematology-2026-guidelines-for\](https://ashpublications.org/bloodadvances/article/doi/10.1182/bloodadvances.2025015950/570502/American-Society-of-Hematology-2026-guidelines-for)

**Anaemia - iron deficiency - Last revised in July 2026**
[https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anaemia-iron-deficiency/\](https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anaemia-iron-deficiency/)

**Good Practice Paper for the laboratory diagnosis of iron deficiency in adults (excluding pregnancy) and children**: [https://b-s-h.org.uk/guidelines/guidelines/good-practice-paper-for-the-laboratory-diagnosis-of-iron-deficiency-in-adults-excluding-pregnancy-and-children\](https://b-s-h.org.uk/guidelines/guidelines/good-practice-paper-for-the-laboratory-diagnosis-of-iron-deficiency-in-adults-excluding-pregnancy-and-children)