Let me guess:
You’re tired, your ferritin is low, and your doctor told you to start taking iron pills.
But here’s what they’re not telling you:
You can have low ferritin and still have iron overload — especially if your metabolism is suppressed and your liver is inflamed.
And most women aren’t iron deficient. They’re iron disordered.
Let’s be clear:
Ferritin is a storage protein, not your blood iron. When it’s low, it doesn’t automatically mean you have no iron. It could mean:
- Iron is stuck in tissues (inflammation blocks release)
- Liver isn’t converting iron properly
- You’re not producing enough ferritin due to metabolic stress
So slamming iron into the system?
That’s not “replenishment.” That’s adding fuel to an already inflamed fire.
How Iron Overload Happens With Low Ferritin
- Low thyroid = low metabolic rate = poor iron utilization
- High estrogen = increased iron retention + lowered ceruloplasmin (copper binding)
- Inflammation = iron gets trapped in tissues, not delivered to where it's needed
- Hepcidin (a liver hormone) spikes in inflammation and blocks iron absorption and release
- Ferritin can be low because the liver isn’t making enough of it, not because you lack iron
Why Women Are Set Up to Fail
Most women are:
- Undereating
- Estrogen dominant
- Taking the pill or spironolactone (which further suppress copper and raise iron)
- Chronically inflamed from gut issues, PUFA-rich diets, and stress
And they’re being told they need iron — when what they actually need is:
- More bioavailable copper
- Liver support
- A functioning thyroid
- Less unbound estrogen floating around
What Too Much Iron Actually Does
Let’s talk damage:
- Iron generates free radicals (via the Fenton reaction)
- It feeds bacterial overgrowth in the gut
- It worsens acne, fatigue, brain fog, and PMS
- It depletes copper, which you need for energy, collagen, detox, immunity
Iron is a pro-oxidant. If your body isn’t metabolically strong, it becomes a wrecking ball.
So What the Hell Do You Do?
Stop supplementing blindly. Start rebuilding regulation. Here's the real strategy:
- Check CRP or fibrinogen. If you’re inflamed, ferritin is unreliable.
- Look at symptoms + patterns — not just labs. If iron makes you more tired, more bloated, more inflamed — listen.
- Support copper — beef liver, whole food vitamin C, adrenal support.
- Lower estrogen load — via bile flow, thyroid, and food.
- Fix thyroid — or you’ll never absorb or utilize iron right.
- Stop mega-dosing iron unless you're bleeding out (like postpartum or severe menstruation + confirmed deficiency via full panel).
Final Word
If you're living on labs alone, you're missing the whole story. Your fatigue isn’t always from “not enough” — it’s often from too much trapped in the wrong place.
Low ferritin is a symptom.
The real issue is metabolic.
Fix that — and the body handles the rest.