Do iron supplements cause an overload of iron in the body?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 46-year-old female with a history of low iron and hemoglobin due to heavy periods and bleeding in between periods due to fibroids. For the last several days, I have been taking 65 mg of elemental iron because of this issue. I am not taking any other medicines. My blood pressure is normal (111/72 mm Hg), my fasting blood sugar is 89 mg/dL, and I have no other health conditions. Yesterday I had a CBC and iron test done, and the results showed very high iron levels (334 mcg/dL), 85 % saturation, and a normal iron-binding capacity (395 mcg/dL ), hemoglobin was low at 10.5 gm/dL, hematocrit was 33.2 %, and ferritin was normal at 20 ng/mL. I think that my high iron levels were false as I took an iron supplement couple of hours before the blood was drawn. I am still worried, and I want to confirm if the high iron levels are due to the supplements as my appointment with my doctor is in a few days from now.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

As mentioned in the history, you have iron deficiency anemia due to bleeding. Ferritin and iron values increase in a short time due to the intake of iron supplements. Your high iron levels are due to iron tablet intake, and you do not have to worry about that. Hemoglobin and packed cell volume (PCV) values take longer to rise to a normal range. If your bleeding continues and if medical management for fibroid fails, then fibroid can be removed surgically to stop bleeding. I hope that I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Best regards.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I would like to add further. I can understand your concern about the iron overload. Excess iron can accumulate in organs like the liver, pancreas, and heart. Iron overload is usually determined by serum ferritin level and not iron level, and your ferritin level is not high. So do not worry about iron overload. I believe that it is due to tablet intake. I hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Best regards.