Iron deficiency test: your iron stores in view

An iron deficiency test shows whether your body currently has enough. Both a shortage and an excess can cause symptoms. Those symptoms often develop slowly. They also resemble complaints with a very different cause.

A single marker rarely tells the whole story. Measuring four values together gives you a broader view. That is an efficient way to get a grip on fatigue or low energy.

This test may suit people who:

• have symptoms such as persistent fatigue, weakness or pallor
• eat little iron-rich food, for example on a vegetarian or vegan diet
• deal with heavy menstrual periods
• want to follow up a previously low or high iron value
• want preventive insight into their iron balance

This panel measures four iron values in your blood:

• Ferritin: reflects how much iron you have in storage. It is often the first value to change. Read more on the page about ferritin.
• Iron (serum): the iron circulating in your blood at that moment. Read more at iron.
• Transferrin: the protein that carries iron through your bloodstream. It shows how much iron your blood can carry.
• Transferrin saturation: the percentage of transferrin carrying iron. This value is calculated from your iron and transferrin, not measured separately.

A single ferritin test looks at one value. This panel combines four.

A low ferritin may point to depleted iron stores. That can happen while your other values still look normal. A low serum iron with raised transferrin often signals compensation. Your body is then trying to carry more iron.

Transferrin saturation ties those two values together. A high ferritin with a high saturation can fit iron accumulation. Read the results together rather than one by one. The four markers give a clearer view than any single value.

Blood is drawn at a certified sample point. There are 700+ locations across the Netherlands. After ordering you choose the location and the time yourself.

You do not need to see your GP first: this is a blood test without a referral. Trained staff take the sample, and it usually takes a few minutes.

A pharmacy self-test measures ferritin in a drop of blood from your fingertip. It gives a first indication against one fixed threshold. That threshold is usually 20 or 30 ng/ml. The unit equals the µg/l on your lab report.

One fixed threshold simply does not fit everyone. The ferritin reference range runs from 30 to 400 µg/l in men. In women it runs from 15 to 150 µg/l.

A 30 ng/ml threshold therefore sits at the bottom of the male range. For women that same threshold is twice the lower bound.

This panel measures four values instead of one. That also shows whether low storage is already affecting transport. After an abnormal self-test, further investigation in a laboratory is the usual next step. An iron deficiency test at a sample point is then the logical choice.

Each marker appears with your value and its reference range. The relationship between the four values often says more than one number. A ferritin low in the range with a low saturation can point to early depletion. That can happen before your serum iron drops noticeably.

Your report explains each value in context. A doctor helps you decide whether dietary changes or further investigation make sense.

Fasting is not strictly required. It can make your serum iron measurement more accurate. If you choose to fast, aim for 8 to 12 hours.

Do you use iron supplements? Avoid them for 24 hours before the test. They can temporarily raise your serum iron.

Your results are online within a few working days. You see your values, the reference ranges and an explanation per marker. If a value falls outside the expected range, you will see that clearly.

Every result includes an assessment by a BIG-registered doctor. Always discuss treatment decisions with your GP.