The most vulnerable group for ferritin deficiency in my practice is teenage girls. Though iron deficiency is a worldwide problem affecting all ages and sexes, over and over again, I see young ladies who are struggling with depression, lack of motivation, fatigue, weakness, hair loss, brittle nails, irregular menstrual cycles and decreased life engagement.
Parents bring their teenage girls wanting to get their hormones checked or wondering if they should start on birth control or an antidepressant. They are usually taking collagen and taking a whole myriad of supplements trying to get their hair and nails to grow. When I delve into their history more times than not, I find that all of their symptoms started showing up and steadily getting worse about a year after starting their menstrual cycle.
What they didn’t realize is that with the changes of puberty and the beginning of their menstrual cycle, there was a significant uptick in their body’s development which requires more resources.
Along with this, they were losing blood each month during their period. So, not only did they need more resources to support their body’s development, they were losing resources each month via their period. And one of the most difficult resources to obtain via diet once deficient is iron.
I recommend a blood ferritin test for all menstruating women but especially teenage women because it is the gold standard for ensuring total body iron sufficiency. I aim for Ferritin levels in the range of 50-120 depending on activity level and pregnancy status.
I recommend they get on two Blood Vitality daily to quickly raise their ferritin levels to see growth in their hair, skin, and nails and an increase in energy, and general well-being
Once they have reached an iron sufficiency that’s right for their body, then they can maintain it with a small dose of blood vitality and/or a well-rounded diet of green leafy vegetables and red meats.
If your patients are dealing with the symptoms of low iron, I encourage you to get their ferritin levels checked, along with TIBC, iron, and iron saturation.
Resolving low ferritin levels and the symptoms caused by it are often such a simple solution and with optimal iron levels, your patients will be on the road to optimal life performance.
