Ferritin in perimenopause
Stored iron — years of heavy or irregular bleeding drain it before hemoglobin drops.
- Panel
- Iron
- LOINC
- 2276-4 (verified against loinc.org)
- US unit
- ng/mL
- UK/EU unit
- ug/L
Why it's on the midlife checklist
The transition's stealth lab: years of heavy perimenopausal bleeding drain stored iron long before a standard blood count notices, while fatigue, hair shedding, and breathlessness show up early. If your cycles have been heavy, this is the number to know.
Keeping the record
Log each result with dates, next to your period log — heavy-cycle history plus a ferritin trend is a complete story an appointment can act on immediately.
Symptoms this lab gets asked about for
- Brain fog
- Forgetfulness
- Chills / cold flashes
- Palpitations
- Dizziness
- Fainting
- Shortness of breath
- Numbness / tingling
- Itchy skin
- Hair shedding
- Fatigue
- Cramps
Source
- Checklist adapted from the Menopause Empowerment Guide (Dr. Mary Claire Haver) — labs to discuss with your clinician, in addition to standard CBC/CMP.
Perity informs, never prescribes — decisions belong with you and your clinician.
Educational content, written and maintained by Perity (founder: EiEi), grounded in the sources cited on this page. It is not medical advice, and Perity never interprets your data or recommends treatment. Last reviewed 2026-07-09.
Perity is in private beta on iPhone. Join the waitlist for early access — no real name required.