Practice
Asking for a ferritin test
The most common reversible cause of shedding in midlife, and it does not show on a standard blood count.
What to do
Ask your provider for ferritin specifically — normal haemoglobin can sit alongside empty iron stores, so a standard blood count will look fine. Shedding is associated with ferritin under about 30 ng/mL, and many clinicians aim for 40–60 for regrowth. Do not start iron without testing: too much is its own problem, and it is not one you can feel coming.
Add it to your phone the next time you book anything medical.
On a hard day: Write the word "ferritin" in your notes now, so it is there when someone asks.
When you might notice
Three to six months after levels come up. Hair is slow, and nothing changes that.
Roughly what it costs
Free
What this is based on
Iron deficiency without anaemia is a recognized and treatable contributor to hair shedding in women, and ferritin is the marker that reveals it.
Good evidence
What this is for
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