Iron and blood status
What is Ferritin?
your iron stores
- Unit
- µg/L
- Sample
- Serum
- Fasting
- No fasting needed
- Turnaround
- 2 days
Ferritin is the protein that stores iron in the body. It is the most useful single measure of iron status and drops well before Hb is affected by iron deficiency.
Ferritin reflects how much iron is stored in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. It also rises during inflammation, so a normal ferritin during active inflammation does not rule out iron deficiency. Low values are common in menstruating women and endurance athletes.
What does low Ferritin mean?
Low ferritin means depleted iron stores. Symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness, hair loss, brittle nails, and restless legs - often before Hb has dropped.
What does high Ferritin mean?
High ferritin can reflect inflammation, liver disease, alcohol use, or more rarely hereditary iron overload (haemochromatosis). Persistent elevation should be investigated.
Panels that measure Ferritin
- Iron Test Base
- Health Check Base
- Performance Test Base
- Liver Test
- Menopause Test
- Performance Test Plus
- Vitamin Test Complete
- Health Check Plus
- Iron Test Complete
- Performance Test Complete
- Female Hormone Test Complete
- Stress Test Complete
- Health Check Complete
- Health Check Man
- Health Check Kvinna
Reading
- Tired all the time? The blood values that can explain why
- Trying for a baby: the blood tests worth taking first
- Men's health after 40: values worth following every year
- Low ferritin: what it means and why it shows before anaemia
- Normal TSH but still tired: what could be behind it?
- What is included in a blood test health check?
- Menopause or your thyroid: the symptoms that overlap and the blood tests that tell them apart
- Blood tests without a referral: how it works in Sweden
- How we work with reference intervals
More markers in the same area
Launching in Stockholm in 2026.
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This is general information about the marker, not an assessment of your values and not medical advice. Last updated: August 2026.