Your ferritin sits at 18 after giving birth at HonorHealth Shea Medical Center months ago. You’re taking oral iron, which you’re not sure is working, as you continue to find clumps of hair in your shower drain while you spend your days driving in traffic along Loop 101 or Shea Boulevard.
Most female patients seeking IV iron are postpartum or dealing with years of heavy menstruation. They often find themselves in the so-called “ferritin gray zone” wherein iron stores are between 15 and 30 ng/mL, blood work appears normal, but exhaustion and brain fog remain as symptoms along with hair loss. After giving birth, women tend to experience these deficiency-related symptoms that oral iron might be unable to resolve.
OBs across Old Town, DC Ranch, and Gainey Ranch may be flagging low ferritin during postpartum visits, but unfortunately they do not provide iron infusions themselves.
An infusion suite visit at HonorHealth or Banner Health means losing half your day to clinical waiting rooms, Loop 101 traffic, and surface parking in the desert heat. With a baby to take care of, it is nearly impossible to manage. Meanwhile, oral iron not only takes months to take effect but also comes with uncomfortable side effects like constipation and stomach cramps.