Ferritin Test Results Came Back Scary Low!

I had a CBC/CP (complete blood count/chemistry profile) in June 2018 and it showed serum iron at 169 ug/dL--high! The doctor who reviewed my results said I needed to follow up with a ferritin test, as my high serum iron was likely the result of eating red meat within a couple days before the test and I could still have low ferritin even with high serum iron and other factors (hemoglobin, red blood cell count) being normal.

However, I rushed out and donated blood, worried I may have hemochromatosis (iron overload disease) as I am of European descent (it's genetic and very common, though I haven't had genetic testing). I cut down on my red meat intake and donated blood again in February or March 2019. In April 2019, I finally got that ferritin test and it's at 6 ng/mL--extremely low! I wish I had tested it earlier.

The combination of frequent periods (about every 23 or 24 days), donating blood, and not being a big red meat eater probably did me in, ferritin-wise. That probably explains some of the major ongoing hair loss, and recent depression and neurological symptoms (as iron is needed for dopamine and serotonin production).

I'm currently eating red meat most days and am supplementing with 25-50mg iron bisglycinate (gentle iron) every day. I'll report back in six months and let you know if there are any improvements, and will also monitor my ferritin levels more often from now on.