What is Ferritin and Why It Is Important to Control its Level in Your Blood?

October 28, 2025

3 min read

Some of us assume that if we have a normal hemoglobin level, we are safe from anemia. In doing so, we may overlook alarming symptoms that indicate iron deficiency. In order to get reliable results, it is essential to control the level of ferritin.

Key takeaways

Some of us assume that if we have a normal hemoglobin level, we are safe from anemia.
What is anemia?
Who is at risk?

Who this is for

People exploring Anemia through anemia, blood.

Why it matters

This piece helps you get oriented quickly, then move into a collection or series if you want to keep going.

Article author

Dr. Asya

Scientific Advisor

As a biochemist, she has expertise in developing and implementing new methods of assessing fatty acids in the blood. She also studies the processes occurring in the human body, and works to help people stay healthy and defeat old age.

Health expert

Ferritin is a protein that accumulates iron in your body. When iron gets into the body from foodstuffs or medicines, it is transported to the gut where it is absorbed into the blood. The transport proteins transfer iron to those bodily organs and tissues where it is required. In addition to transporting iron, ferritin is capable of accumulating excess iron (creating storage).

What is anemia?

Anemia is when the hemoglobin level in the blood drops. However, in earlier stages, the iron deficit doesn’t lead to anemia. First, the need for iron exceeds consumption, which leads to progressive depletion of iron in bone marrow tissue. When the iron reserves decrease, the body starts to absorb more iron from food. In the later stages, the iron deficit has a negative impact on the synthesis of red blood cells, which, in turn, leads to developing anemia.

Normally, anemia is diagnosed with the help of serum ferritin, which indirectly shows total iron deposits in the human body. A hidden deficit of iron refers to the condition when the results of the general blood tests are within the reference values and there are no signs of anemia — but the level of ferritin is below physiological bodily needs. When this happens to someone, they may complain about having health problems. Therefore, this condition may require medical treatment — even if the hemoglobin level is normal.

Who is at risk?

There are several groups of people whose physiology requires more iron and who are more often diagnosed with an iron deficit. For example, it often affects women beginning at reproductive age and continuing through the entire active period of a woman’s life. This is especially true for women during pregnancy and breastfeeding when the iron is used for growing the uterus, placenta, and fetus. As it is impossible to satisfy these needs with iron sourced from food, the body uses iron deposits. Teenage girls are often in this risk group because of the tendency to diet in the hopes of staying skinny.

Another risk group is young children at the active growth stage. If a child was unable to accumulate enough iron during pregnancy because of the mother’s iron deficiency, he or she would be at risk of developing anemia at the age of 5-6 years old.

Various laboratories use different reference ranges for serum ferritin depending on age and gender. However, a serum ferritin level below 12 mkg/l indicates depletion of iron deposits.

Check your level

Symptoms are not always present during the latent stage of an iron deficit, but this health condition should be managed. It is especially important to know the level of ferritin for women during pregnancy. Ferritin levels within the 30-40 mkg/l range usually require iron supplementation. During pregnancy, the level of ferritin is decreased because of the increased use of iron deposits. The ideal level of ferritin for women is between 25 and 120 mkg/l, and within this level, women feel good, have enough energy, and do not suffer from chronic fatigue.

Ferritin level for women and children:

Less than 15 mkg/l — iron deficiency
15-120 mkg/l — average ferritin level
More than 150 mkg/l — high ferritin level

In this case, it is advisable to seek the advice of a hematologist and limit iron. This can be a genetic predisposition for iron, inflammatory and oncologic disorders. Ferritin levels are higher in men than in women. Men have bigger muscles, weigh more and have more erythrocytes.

Ferritin level for men:

Less than 20 mkg/l — iron deficiency
20-250 mkg/l — average ferritin level
More than 250 mkg/l — high ferritin level

In this case, it is advisable to seek the advice of a hematologist and limit iron. This can be a genetic predisposition for accumulating iron, inflammatory and oncologic disorders.

Of course, you shouldn’t forget that the result of any test should be interpreted with the help of a physician. For example, ferritin levels can be higher in cases of inflammatory disorders, making the diagnosis of anemia more difficult. Therefore, ferritin levels should be evaluated along with other medical test results.

Continue reading

Anemia#anemia

How To Increase Iron Level in the Body

Many of us experience a lack of sleep, stress, and poor diet at some point or another in our lives. While these can all be symptoms of general fatigue, they can also indicate a lack of iron in the body. When it's time to get tested?

Dr. HelgaOct 28, 2025

Anemia#anemia

Anemia: Do Not Miss the First Signals

Anemia occurs when red blood cells decrease, which prevents the full supply of oxygen from reaching all organs and tissues of the body. At first, this leads to general malaise, but it can cause more serious problems. Anemia can be treated — it is important to take action and not miss the onset of the disease.

Dr. HelgaOct 28, 2025

Healthy lifestyle#glaucoma

The Beginners’ Guide: What You Need To Know About Cannabidiol (CBD)

So you have heard about CBD and it can help you with your problem, but you don’t know where to start. Here is a short beginner’s guide to CBD!

Dr. AsyaOct 28, 2025

Pediatrics#hemoglobin

Blood Transfusion for Premature Babies: A New Perspective

The largest randomized clinical trial on blood transfusion to premature babies was completed by Dr. Haresh Kirpalani of the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Edward Bell of the University of Iowa, and colleagues from the Neonatal Research Network, including Dr. Rosemary Higgins of the George Mason University College of Health and Human Services. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. To date, this is the most ambitious research in the world that examines blood transfusion in premature babies.

DaryaOct 28, 2025

Install Ornament to not only read these articles, but also track your health, store test results, and access other useful features

Install Ornament