Question about ferritin levels

[firenze11]

For a few years I've wondered if I had low iron due to increasing fatigue and need for sleep. Along with the fatigue, last year I started having a problem with my hair shedding and I seemed to be losing a lot of it. I didn't realize how much my hair had thinned until I looked at a picture of me right before the problem started and one of me now. Jeez, I really did lose quite a bit. My doctor took some blood and checked for anemia, thyroid, and some other stuff. She said everything was ok. So I think I can rule out thyroid, depression, and pregnancy. And I think I eat pretty well.

I do remember my ferritin level was about 40. I know this is in range but I just recently read that ferritin should be about 70 for hair growth/replacement. Can a level like this also cause fatigue and other iron deficiency symptoms without anemia?

I'm still experiencing fatigue (it never really changed for better or worse) which affects how much I work out/ride my bike and how good I feel in general. Lately I also think my hair is beginning to shed a lot again. It seemed to slow down a lot in June/July so I thought it was getting better. I'm also not seeing much growth. I'm only 24.

I know I should go into my doctor but I feel like I see her all the time because I found out a few months ago I have migraines. I don't want to seem like a hypochondriac.

Thanks for any ideas you may have.

[Zen]

When you had your blood work done did they do any liver function tests?
Liver disease can be a cause of fatigue.
the last thing you should be concerned about is being thought a hypochondriac.

[Grog]

Hair loss can be nothing special or dangerous, or (rarely) it can indicate a more serious condition.

I found this article to be somewhat helpful:
http://jaapa.com/issues/j20040401/ar...wthinhair.html

Good luck!

(If this worries you a little more than normal, I suggest your pursue it further with your doctor and do NOT self-diagnose/self-medicate. But in the meantime you can try more sleep, more iron-rich foods, and more fruits and vegetables in general.)

[mimitabby]

the last thing you should be concerned about is being thought a hypochondriac.

I agree wholeheartedly

[firenze11]

Thanks for all the advice. I think I had a liver function test done in my blood work and it was good. But I'm not positive because this was done a year ago.

Thanks for the link Grog, I took a look. Female patten hair loss sounds pretty scary, not in a life threatening sense, but in an "Oh man I really like my hair and I don't want to lose it sense." I have been on birth control for a few years and took a beta blocker for migraines for a few months so that might be part of the problem. I'll ask my doctor about it.

Another thing that has been making wonder about the iron is that sometimes when I work out on my elliptical I get a tightness in my chest that can radiate up my neck and shoulder. I haven't had it on the trainer though, so maybe that's something. Eep, I know I might get yelled at here for not having it checked out yet. I should probably make an appointment pretty soon. And stop worrying that they'll think I'm a hypochondriac. I come from a family that thinks it's stoic or something to avoid the doctor.

[Dianyla]

I hadn't heard about the target range of 70. I have heard of a target range of about 50 for athletes and women, that I'm always shooting for.

I have to work really hard just to keep above 30 despite heavy menstrual losses. When I went in 2 years ago feeling like total crap it was 12, the lowest readable value in the range. My doctor said that when ferritin levels are below 15, it's a fairly good sign that your marrow stores are completely depleted. I feel much better now that I mostly keep it above 30. Below 25 is typically considered "low normal".

ETA: If I were you, I'd try to find a doctor who is knowledgeable about thyroid issues. That is a much more likely cause of hair loss, considering that your ferritin levels are ~40. Most primary care docs only do a single test (TSH) for thyroid function and that test often misses some critical details.