Private Iron (Ferritin) Test: £55, results in 24 hours
The ferritin blood test for iron levels, £55
The ferritin test, the laboratory measure of your iron stores and the first test for iron deficiency, measured on a venous sample and reviewed by a doctor who tells you whether your iron is low, normal or high and what to do about it. Results emailed within 24 hours. No fasting and no GP referral needed. Have your blood taken at our Kings Heath clinic in Birmingham with no blood-draw fee, at one of 100+ partner clinics across the UK, or at home.
Includes: the test, the lab fee, a doctor’s review of your result with advice on iron, and a written report by email, usually within 24 hours, with the next step if the level is low or high. Nothing to pay on the day at the Birmingham clinic.
Book a ferritin test online- No referral needed
- No fasting
- Results in 24 hours
- Doctor-reviewed
- CQC-registered clinic
What a ferritin test checks
Iron deficiency is the commonest nutritional deficiency in the UK and the commonest cause of anaemia, and it is missed because its symptoms, tiredness, breathlessness on stairs, hair shedding, restless legs, brittle nails, creep up over months. Ferritin is the protein that stores iron, and its level in the blood is the earliest and most reliable sign that the stores are running low, falling long before the haemoglobin on a full blood count does. One in four women of childbearing age in the UK has low iron; many have a normal haemoglobin and have never been told.
- Ferritin the protein that stores iron, and the blood level mirrors the size of your iron stores: a low ferritin means the stores are running out, and it falls long before the haemoglobin does, which is why it is the first and most sensitive test for iron deficiency. It also rises with infection, inflammation, liver disease and alcohol (it is an “acute-phase” protein), so a high result is read alongside a CRP, and a normal result in someone with inflammation can still hide a deficiency. Reported in micrograms per litre (µg/L, the same as ng/mL).
When to have one
A ferritin test is worth having if any of these apply:
- Tiredness or low energy that sleep does not fix, breathlessness on stairs or exertion, a racing heart, dizziness, headaches, pale skin or the inside of the eyelids, or difficulty concentrating: the symptoms of low iron
- Hair shedding or thinning, brittle or spoon-shaped nails, cracks at the corners of the mouth, a sore tongue, restless legs at night, or craving ice: the less obvious signs
- Heavy or prolonged periods, pregnancy or recent pregnancy, or breastfeeding: the commonest reasons women run low
- A vegetarian or vegan diet, a restricted diet, regular blood donation, endurance training, or a gut condition that limits absorption (coeliac disease, Crohn’s, after weight-loss surgery, long-term antacids)
- A man, or a woman after the menopause, with low iron: it needs a cause found, because without periods to explain it the usual one is blood loss from the gut
- You are taking iron tablets and want to know whether they are working, or your doctor wants your stores checked before an infusion, surgery or pregnancy
What happens
- Book online and choose where to have your blood taken: the Kings Heath clinic, a partner clinic near you or a home visit. Pay once; there is nothing to pay on the day.
- Give one small blood sample. It takes a few minutes. No fasting is needed.
- The lab measures ferritin at a UKAS-accredited laboratory, usually the same day.
- A doctor reviews your result and emails you a written report, usually within 24 hours, placing it against the range for your sex and age, the NICE threshold for deficiency and your symptoms.
- If something needs following up, the report says what: a treatment course of iron for a low result with a recheck after three months, a full blood count to see whether you are anaemic, B12 and folate if the picture is mixed, a coeliac screen or a GP appointment to find the cause, or iron studies and a CRP for a high result. We write to your NHS GP with your consent.
How to prepare
- No fasting. Eat and drink normally.
- Any time of day suits. If you add the iron profile (serum iron and transferrin), a morning sample before iron tablets gives the most reliable serum iron.
- Keep taking any iron supplement unless your doctor has said otherwise, and tell us the dose and how long you have been on it: the question is usually whether it is working.
- Tell us about a recent infection or illness, and about any liver or inflammatory condition: ferritin rises with inflammation, and the doctor reads it accordingly.
Where to have your blood taken
The test, the laboratory and the doctor’s report are the same wherever you live. Only the blood-draw fee differs, and it is charged once per visit however many tests you add.
Want more from the same sample? Add a full blood count, active B12 and folate or full blood count and thyroid test (the tiredness trio) and the blood is taken once, with the multi-test discount applied at checkout.
Normal ranges and what a high result means
| Marker | Typical adult range |
|---|---|
| Below 15 µg/L | Iron deficiency: stores exhausted |
| 15 to 30 µg/L | Low: iron deficiency likely (NICE uses below 30 as the threshold in adults); treatment usually advised |
| 30 to 150 µg/L (women) / 30 to 300 µg/L (men) | Normal range; many specialists aim for above 50 where hair loss or restless legs are the problem |
| Above 150 µg/L (women) / 300 µg/L (men) | Raised: most often infection, inflammation, fatty liver or alcohol; iron overload if the transferrin saturation is also high |
| Above 1,000 µg/L | Markedly raised: needs prompt assessment |
Laboratory ranges differ slightly and your report shows the one used; µg/L and ng/mL are the same number. Women before the menopause run lower than men because of periods and pregnancy, which is why the ranges are given separately. Ferritin is also an acute-phase protein: an infection, an inflammatory condition, liver disease or heavy alcohol use pushes it up, so a “normal” result of 30 to 100 in someone with inflammation can still hide iron deficiency, and a high result is read with a CRP and transferrin saturation before anything is called iron overload.
A low ferritin is treated with iron, usually tablets for three months and a recheck, with the stores taking longer to refill than the haemoglobin, and in a woman with heavy periods or a man of any age the more important question is why: heavy periods, a diet short of iron, coeliac disease, long-term antacids, or blood loss from the stomach or bowel, which in men and post-menopausal women NICE says should be investigated even when the anaemia is mild. A high ferritin is more often inflammation, fatty liver or alcohol than too much iron, and the iron overload screen separates the two; a persistently raised result with a high transferrin saturation is tested for haemochromatosis, one of the commonest inherited conditions in the UK and fully preventable when caught early. These are the tests we add when a result needs explaining, all bookable at the same clinic:
Questions people ask
What is a normal ferritin level?
Most UK laboratories quote about 30 to 150 µg/L for women before the menopause and 30 to 300 µg/L for men and older women; µg/L and ng/mL are the same number. NICE uses a ferritin below 30 as the threshold for iron deficiency in adults, and below 15 means the stores are exhausted. Levels rise with age and are lower in women of childbearing age because of periods and pregnancy. Where hair loss or restless legs are the problem, many specialists aim for a ferritin above 50, although the evidence for an exact target is modest.
What are the symptoms of low iron?
Tiredness and low energy, breathlessness on stairs or exertion, a racing or pounding heart, dizziness, headaches, pale skin and pale inner eyelids, poor concentration and feeling the cold. The less obvious signs are hair shedding, brittle or spoon-shaped nails, cracks at the corners of the mouth, a sore smooth tongue, restless legs at night and a craving for ice. Many people have low iron with no symptoms at all, and the symptoms overlap with low B12, an underactive thyroid and simply being run down, which is why the test is often paired with a full blood count and thyroid test.
Can ferritin be low with a normal haemoglobin?
Yes, and it is common: the body uses up its stored iron first, so ferritin falls months before the haemoglobin does. A low ferritin with a normal full blood count is iron deficiency without anaemia, and it causes the same tiredness, hair loss and breathlessness. It is worth treating, and it explains why a “normal blood test” from a GP, which often means a normal haemoglobin, does not rule out low iron if the ferritin was never measured.
What causes low iron?
Losing more iron than you take in. In women the usual cause is heavy periods, pregnancy or breastfeeding; in anyone, a diet low in iron (vegetarian and vegan diets need more care), regular blood donation or endurance training. Poor absorption comes with coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, weight-loss surgery and long-term antacid use. In men and in women after the menopause, slow blood loss from the stomach or bowel is the cause that must be excluded, which is why NICE advises investigation of unexplained iron deficiency in those groups.
What does a high ferritin mean?
Usually not too much iron. Ferritin rises with any infection or inflammation, with fatty liver and other liver disease, with heavy alcohol use and with obesity, and these account for most raised results. Genuine iron overload, from hereditary haemochromatosis or repeated transfusions, is identified by measuring the transferrin saturation alongside it: a high ferritin with a high saturation points to overload, a high ferritin with a normal saturation to inflammation or the liver. A result above 1,000 µg/L needs prompt assessment whatever the cause.
Does low iron cause hair loss?
It can. Iron deficiency is one of the commonest reversible causes of diffuse hair shedding (telogen effluvium) in women, and ferritin is the first test a dermatologist asks for. Hair follicles are sensitive to iron stores well before anaemia develops, and specialists often aim for a ferritin above 50 µg/L, sometimes higher, before judging whether iron is the cause. Thyroid function, vitamin D and B12 are the other blood tests worth checking at the same time.
Should I check my iron in pregnancy?
Yes. Iron needs roughly double in pregnancy, and low iron is common from the second trimester, raising the risk of tiredness, breathlessness and a low birth weight. The NHS checks a full blood count at booking and at 28 weeks but does not always measure ferritin; a ferritin test shows whether your stores are low before the haemoglobin drops, and is useful when planning a pregnancy, when you are vegetarian or vegan, or when you had low iron in a previous pregnancy. Tell your midwife the result, and do not take high-dose iron without advice.
Are home iron test kits accurate?
Finger-prick ferritin kits can give a reasonable screen when the sample is taken well, but small or clotted samples are a common reason for no result, and a number on its own does not tell you whether you are anaemic, why the iron is low, or whether inflammation is masking a deficiency. The laboratory venous test with a doctor’s review, usually paired with a full blood count, is the reliable version, and a home visit brings the phlebotomist to you if getting to a clinic is difficult.
How much does a private iron test cost?
£55 for the ferritin test at OneMedicine, which includes the laboratory test, a doctor’s review and a written report by email. The full blood count to check for anaemia is £40 from the same sample, the iron profile (serum iron, ferritin and transferrin) is £85, and the anaemia profile, which covers all of these with B12, folate and CRP, is £110. There is no blood-draw fee at our Birmingham clinic; a partner clinic elsewhere in the UK adds £29 and a home visit in England £60, once per visit.
Ferritin or a full iron profile: which do I need?
Ferritin alone answers most questions: it is the most sensitive single test for iron deficiency and the one NICE recommends first. The iron profile adds serum iron and transferrin, which help when the ferritin is borderline, when inflammation or liver disease may be propping it up, or when the question is iron overload rather than deficiency (the transferrin saturation is the key figure there). If you are tired and want the whole picture in one go, the anaemia profile includes the full blood count, ferritin, transferrin saturation, B12, folate and CRP.
How long does it take for iron tablets to work, and when should I retest?
Symptoms and the haemoglobin usually improve within two to four weeks, but refilling the stores takes longer, so iron is normally continued for three months after the haemoglobin is back to normal and the ferritin rechecked then. Taking the tablet every other day with vitamin C, away from tea, coffee, milk and antacids, is absorbed as well as daily dosing with fewer stomach side effects. If the ferritin has not risen after three months of taking iron properly, the cause is usually poor absorption (coeliac disease is the first thing to test) or ongoing blood loss.
How long do ferritin test results take?
Results are usually emailed within 24 hours of the sample reaching the lab, often the same evening for a sample taken at the Birmingham clinic. Samples from partner clinics and home visits are couriered to the same laboratory and typically take one to two working days.
Read more
- Ferritin Explained: Your Iron Stores
- Iron Deficiency: Symptoms and the Tests That Confirm It
- Low Ferritin but Normal Haemoglobin — Should I Worry?
- What Does High Ferritin Mean?
- Understanding Anaemia Blood Tests
OneMedicine, 1 High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7AR. Opposite Kings Heath railway station, on-site parking. CQC-registered.
