Thyroid - Low iron problems, how to test, and how to help!

Thyroid - Low iron problems, how to test, and how to help! // Problems with iron are often connected to our thyroid because thyroid conditions can make it hard to get enough iron from our diet and iron subsequently decreases thyroid function. But what sort of thyroid tests should we be looking at to assess the involvement of iron? In this video, we’ll cover what iron can change about our thyroid, what markers we should check to determine if we have enough iron in our body, and what is the best way to go about supplementing so you can see an improvement in your health!
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[@DrBradBodle]

Did you know there was a connection between low iron and changes in thyroid function? Have you had these iron markers checked on your labs before? Has supplementing with iron been helpful? Let me know in the comments! -Dr. Brad

[@chiaraboccelli4189]

Dr. Brad, when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis my ferritin level was at 17 and TPO 555.I was feeling so poorly and miserable. This happened 3 years ago. Right now my TPO is 152 and ferritin 72, I feel alive again!😭😭 I am still fighting to send this Hashimoto’s on remission. Thank you for all your teachings and rich info Dr. Brad. I am very grateful to professionals like you who help people like me to get better naturally ❤️❤️

[@DrBradBodle]

@@chiaraboccelli4189 Hi Chiara, that's amazing! I'm so glad for you that your numbers are improving and you're feeling better! Keep up the great work and thank you so much for sharing 😊

[@jenniferfranzmeier6562]

I recently was diagnosed with Hashimoto's and had my ferritin and serum iron levels checked based on research I had done. Ferritin was 6 L in a range of 11-230 ng/mL and was marked out of range. My serum iron was 38 in a range of 35-175 ug/dL. I was told these are in the low range of normal. I am exhausted all the time. My TPO Ab are >1300 but my TSH, Free T4, Free T3 are in "normal range" even though the T4 and T3 are barley above the low end of the cutoff. I requested the full iron panel and had it drawn yesterday because I didn't think my previous results were normal. I came across a blood draw in my Sonora Quest online results from 2016 that was flagged and had my iron saturation level at 12 L. I'm hoping my latest lab results will result in progress being made. Thank you for the information - I've been looking for ranges and yellow/red flag ranges.

[@dukesanddaughters]

I have to get iron infusions bc i can't absorb iron through the gut. My last ferritin level was 6, so i got the infusions within the next couple of days. Feel so much better

[@DandVandtheboys]

Thank you for this helpful info! I started suffering from hypothyroid symptoms a couple years ago (cold, tired, heavy menstrual bleeding, puffy eyelids, weight gain, etc) but I didn’t know at the time about the possible role of low iron. I decided to get my iron tested just a few months ago because of the heavy menstruation and restless legs keeping me awake. Imagine my shock to get back a ferritin count of 10! And yet my other iron levels seemed fine, so I thought I must have caught the problem before it got too bad. But I didn’t understand that high TIBC was also an indication of low iron until I watched your video just now. (My TIBC was 429.) I’ve been taking 27mg of Ferrous bisglycinate most days for several months now and just tested my ferritin again. It’s still only 21. I realize now that I should have gotten the other iron numbers checked again, too, but I thought ferritin was my main cause for concern until I watched this. I will be upping my dose of iron and being more consistent about taking it daily! I’ve tried to be careful never to take it with calcium or dairy since I know that interferes with absorption. Do you think iodine supplementation might affect iron levels? I think I read that when the thyroid converts iodine it uses up iron somehow, but perhaps I am not recalling that right. I am wondering if my ferritin has stayed low because of iodine supplementation using up my iron somehow. My antibodies are less than 1, so I feel that iodine is not risky for me, and it seems to help with my breast pain and reduce my heavy menstrual bleeding. I had the bleeding assessed by a gynecologist who did a uterine biopsy (normal). Her only suggestion for me was taking hormone pills, and I don’t want to do that as I have had a bad experience with birth control pills in the past destroying my health. So, I prefer to take iodine because it has helped me without any negative side effects. Whenever I stop taking it, the menstrual flow gets heavy again, so I think my body still needs more iodine.

[@donnayoung9215]

Thank you for this. No one tells us this info. I have low iron due to blood lose so that explains my low thyroid and high antibodies. And I stopped the meds synthroid after 10 days I think I did the right thing.

[@DrBradBodle]

You're welcome Donna! Remember, we're allowed to have more than one thing going on at a time and some people will need BOTH thyroid hormone and iron. However, that's why we need to do our best with our labs (this is mostly on your doctor), so we can find out the main causes of our symptoms. Hope you can get on the right track and feeling better! Let me know if there's anything else I can answer!

[@miabeia3117]

Thanks so much! I learned a lot from this video…

[@DrBradBodle]

You're welcome Linda! Happy it answered those questions for you!

[@miabeia3117]

@@DrBradBodle my Iron levels seem to be much better now but I’m concerned that my iron serum might be too high now because it went from 50 to 130. My serum saturation went from 13 to 36 and my Tbic went down to 366 but I haven’t been on my supplement quite 2 months. I wanted your opinion what you think whether I should continue to take them every day or only several days a week? Thanks so much Dr. Brad!

[@ambikasingh857]

So, I have hashimotos thyroiditis. I am on synthroid. My ferritin levels are low. I have been on iron supplements last year, but as soon as i stop the supplements, within a few months, I am back to ground zero. Low iron again! What should be done? Will I always have to be on iron supplements? If yes, won't there be side-effects? Please let me know. Thanks!

[@mamasshrimp422]

Hi Dr. Brad! I have a fluctuating thyroid and it’s enlarged. I was anemic and got iron infusions in July and August. My thyroid gland is enlarged (awaiting formal Hashimoto’s diagnosis) in addition to hairloss, digestive issues, and acid reflux. I am starting to suspect Celiac’s disease may be the root cause of all of my issues. I just made this determination this past weekend. I used to be vegan but added oysters, sardines, salmon and shrimp to increase B12 and iron but now I am going to cut out gluten entirely. I was taking iron prior to infusions but to no avail, my levels did not improve. I read that Celiac’s causes malnourishment due to inability to absorb nutrients. Could this be the root cause of the ripple effect of all of my health issues? Any information you provide is appreciated.

[@debashishmohanta7165]

I have my tsh level 10 and after medicine still the level at 10 and every time i visit to doctor they increase the dose. What may be the possible causes of not decreasing tsh level.

[@donnayoung9215]

Il need to check my blood work my ferritin was 7 so very low

[@DrBradBodle]

Yes, in this case you don't even need to worry about inflammation because 7 is definitely low for ferritin! This and the blood loss needs to be addressed as soon as you can.

[@elisabyler3421]

What does it mean if ferritin is low but iron saturation is high?

[@jordangray7269]

@Dr. Brad Bodle, your videos are very informative and much appreciated. I recently had my iron levels checked and two markers came back low (serum&sat.) >serum iron: 41 mcg/dl >TIBC: 318 mcg/dl >saturation: 13% I was thinking of taking an iron supplement (I have a low thyroid as well FYI). Would you recommend this based on these test results?

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Jordan, I'm glad to hear you've been enjoying them! As I mentioned in the video, sometimes these scenarios can be a little tough to assess, but to me, that serum iron looks like it's trending low and I really don't like the saturation level. For context, one of patients is a nurse, and although I can't remember the exact cut-off, but at the hospital she works at they will do iron infusions when people have iron sat under 20% (just to show you the significance). I think it would be worth it to talk over with your doctor and do a trial run of iron. Remember, people taking calcium or iron should wait 4 hours after taking their thyroid medication to avoid blocking the absorption of their medication. Hope this helps!

[@jordangray7269]

@@DrBradBodle Okay thanks for responding I really appreciate your input.

[@miabeia3117]

Thanks Dr. Bodle! What if you are post menopausal and your ferritin is only 23, tibc is 320, iron serum 119, iron saturation 37 and uibc is 201… I have been taking a plant based supplement now for about 4 months and my levels have improved but not sure how many days that I should be taking my supplement? Thanks for all of your great videos!

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Linda, in general, we like to see those ferritin numbers a bit higher. While there's a bit of a debate over what the levels should be for pre-menopausal women and post-menopausal women, I think the first goal would be to get to 30, see how you feel, then make the determination of whether or not you'd need to work towards 50 as a baseline. Of course, you'll want to keep an eye on those other markers as well to make sure they're not getting too high. Out of curiosity, how come the plant based supplement? That could potentially limit some of the effectiveness of your absorption, but there are good reasons to use these as well. Thanks Linda! Hope this helps!

[@miabeia3117]

@@DrBradBodle if you remember my original numbers were really out of wack last October after watching your other video, I had my iron levels tested and I started to take my supplement which really helped a lot. I sent you those test results and I also sent you the second ones I took last April through Instagram but you asked about my ferritin levels which they never tested and I asked recently to have my labs done again which included ferritin this time but I seem to be improving each time.. so I believe that the supplement is really helping me… unfortunately, mainstream Thyroid Doctors seem to look at things much differently than functional doctors… I really need to see if I can afford to have you as my doctor. Thanks Dr. Bodle!

[@dianacarter3212]

I have both! Been anemic for YEARS! MINE IS TANNINS I THINK. Im stopping coffee and tea.

[@seankearney730]

Hi Dr. Bodle….I am a male living in Canada who was supplementing with Iron. I was directed by my doctor to take iron to increase my ferritin. I raised my ferritin to 99. I stopped taking iron and my ferritin fell to 71 in 4 months. Is this normal? Why would my ferritin drop?

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Sean, thanks for reaching out! Ferritin could drop for a few reasons. Either we're not absorbing iron well, it's not being included in our diet in general, or we have some sort of blood loss which is increasing the rate of iron turnover. Additionally, for some people, ferritin can be elevated due to inflammation and when that is managed better, the ferritin will drop. That doesn't mean the person is losing iron, it just means that the inflammation made the ferritin marker "look" higher than it actually was. It can be a bit tricky, so we just need to consider all possibilities and work from there. Hope this helps a little bit!

[@swapniljain6946]

My wife is having below: IRON 46.9 ug/dl UIBC 341.5 ug/dl TIBC 388.40 ug/dl TSH 6.437 uIU/ml T3 0.95 ng/ml T4 6.64 ug/dl She has been prescribed thyronorm 12.5 and iron supplement. But whenever she takes the medicine, she gets stomach ache. I guess it's because she is not able to digest the supplement. Please suggest remedy. Thanks in advance.

[@miabeia3117]

My TSH is on the high side and out of the normal range, my T-4 is on the higher side but in the normal range. My Doctor told me that my T-3 is on the lower side but she didn’t send me the number of T-3.. since I have Just hypothyroidism I wish I could get off of these meds. Thanks Dr Brad for such great Information!

[@DrBradBodle]

You're welcome Linda! Yes, it'd be helpful to know what the T3 looked like and it makes me wonder if you're having more of a conversion problem. It also might help to check some of the markers I mentioned in this video if you haven't already. Keep working at it! You'll get it figured out!

[@miabeia3117]

@@DrBradBodle I wonder if it has to do with me only being in Tirosint for 16 days when I was tested? I’m supposed to go back in 6 weeks to retest it.

[@DrBradBodle]

@@miabeia3117 Hi Linda, yes, I didn't realize you had recently changed your medication, so that's certainly a possibility. Additionally, we would need to ask... What were the TSH levels before the medication change? Maybe they're still high, but trending in a positive direction. We may need more time to gauge your response as you adjust to the medication.

[@miabeia3117]

@@DrBradBodle I switched from Armour to Tirosint because of the fillers..I’ll keep you posted on my next blood test results in about a month from now. Thanks Doctor Brad!

[@DrBradBodle]

@@miabeia3117 That sounds like solid reasoning and a good plan. Yep, I would track your symptoms and follow up with some blood tests! Great stuff Linda! :)

[@carinoll9611]

Good morning! I’ve listened to this video several times! Thanks for all of the info. From going over my labs I think my iron is low. Iron total 64 (45-160) Iron binding 289 (250-450) % saturation 22 (16-45) Ferritin 131 (16-232) Don’t know if it matters but I am Carnivore eating 130gm beef daily. 0 carbs. With these levels should I start on an iron supplement?

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Cari, these numbers don't look too bad to me. Serum iron is trending on the lower half, but that one tends to fluctuate a bit more than the others, so it could look better if we were to check it again. The iron saturation is also trending low and that can be an early indicator. Iron binding and ferritin look fine. Ferritin can increase with inflammation, so it would be helpful to know what your inflammatory markers look like and if you have any symptoms. If you have some additional reasons why you think you might benefit from iron, you can always try it out for a few weeks, see how it makes you feel, then go from there. Let me know what you think! Happy to discuss things further with you :)

[@carinoll9611]

@@DrBradBodle thank u very much! I have a consultation set up with you for Thursday!🙂

[@DrBradBodle]

@@carinoll9611 Oh excellent! Looking forward to it! :) Let me know if there's anything else you need in the meantime!

[@candacerushing6882]

You also need to have a CBC- you need to know your hemoglobin!

[@syrenaxhaferi7278]

Smart doctor...most doctors I don't trust

[@DrBradBodle]

Thanks so much for the kind words! I try my best to be honest and practical when it comes to these things and hopefully you've found it helpful. Thank you again and have a great day!

[@miabeia3117]

Can low iron levels cause hypothyroidism? I just started taking iron supplements. Thanks Dr. Bodle!

[@yogita902]

How are you Now I have heavy menses and low iron level up my hypothyroidism

[@miabeia3117]

@@yogita902mine is better now.. I’m taking a non heme one from Global Healing… Dr Group’s supplements are very good and they come in glass bottles

[@kala9907]

​@@yogita902that's good to hear. How are you now?

[@ashbolton83]

I’m trying to navigate all of this. My tsh was low normal (0.94) i haven’t had my t3 or t4 checked but my ferritin was 1.6. I feel bad a lot of times and the iron supplements from my Dr make me sick.

[@ashbolton83]

TIBC is high

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Ash, thanks for reaching out! If the iron supplements make you feel sick, but you think taking iron would be helpful, I would look at the type of iron you've been recommended. Most doctors use inorganic forms because they're cheaper, but they can also cause the most stomach pain and constipation. I typically use ferrous bisglycinate and have people take it with food. That said, some of my patients don't tolerate that either, so I will then switch to using desiccated beef liver in capsules. Even though the dosage isn't as standardized, I have seen it raise iron levels when I've tracked labs. Hope this helps!

[@robertdavis5714]

Hmmmmmmm, well done Sir. Use to be a Beef eater until 5 yrs ago went Vegetarian. Took yrs but the Hell came true and thought it was Iodine, which did help the situation, but the problems still persisted. Interesting, I am taking 70 mg of Iron per day, seems to work best for me I take it right before Breakfast, noticed changes in only 7 days, been about 45 days now, and slowly seeing changes in hair and skin, 1/2 way there another 45 days to go.

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Robert, thanks for the kind words! I'm so glad you're making improvements and low iron is such an important issue for our health if it isn't being addressed properly. Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing!

[@tinkerbellbetty]

What about folic acid too

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi! Low folic acid can also be a problem for people with thyroid issues. Serum folate is a reliable marker and I do like to check it when people have signs of digestive issues where they might not be absorbing nutrients well. Hope this answers your question!

[@tinkerbellbetty]

@@DrBradBodle thank you thats a great helped. I ened up with phycosis soent 3 months in the nhs m h ward . Yes i do habe digestive issues atm. Alway iron anemia in off all my life my mum and 5 othe relatives have hypothyroidism.

[@tinkerbellbetty]

@@DrBradBodle my cousin supposed ti have bi polar her thyroid keeo goi g high then low and she was folic acid deficient too. So seems like you know more the our drs and shrinks. Our children mine has anemia hers folic acid

[@katmeg1117]

Can hypothyroidism cause low ferritin

[@DrBradBodle]

Hi Kat, yes, decreased thyroid function can impair our absorption of iron from food and also contribute to hormonal changes that makes it more likely for us to lose iron. Hope this helps!