How Do You Know If Your Iron Is Low?

You know that with a blood test that you can get either asking you doctor, going to the hospital, or health fair.

A hemoglobin number should be no lower than 12 and this is found through blood work

I know one time i had started to get huge headaches and i felt like i was gna faint and it wasnt even hot outside and i wasnt even outside in the first place. So i know dizziness is a sign

You should NOT rely on just the "headline" number from a lab test of Hemoglobin. Everyone has a different "normal" level AND hemoglobin is just an indicator of anemia which is the most extreme form of iron deficiency.

You need to add a ferritin level to your lab tests. Ferritin is the best measure of iron status. Above 50 is normal. Below 15 is definitely not normal. For anything in between, its worth taking a 3 month course of iron supplements and re-testing to see if anything moved or if you feel better.  Ignore the normal ranges given by the lab.



To move the meter on iron, you need to take a separate supplement - not just a multi-vitamin. It also helps to start with smallish dose and then work up to larger does 75mg or so because your bowels need some time to adjust or you can get constipated.