Hello doctor,My daughter is 25 years old, had a miscarriage a few months back. She lost a lot of blood for a week or two and continued a little less for up to a month total. Her OBGYN doctor and her PA did not give her Iron supplements at the time. This month she had her physical and they did the blood work and her ferritin, the serum is 7 and the normal range for the laboratory is 15 to 150. Iron saturation is 5 and iron serum is 18. Also, MCV is 75, MCH is 21.9, MCHC is 29.0, RDW 17.7, platelets 472, all abnormal. Her PA gave her Feosol 65 mg elemental Iron 2 per day. From her doctor's office, they said to come back in a month to repeat the blood work. Is 7 for the ferritin level concerning corroborated with all the values for the shape, volume, and size of the red blood cells? Does her bone marrow is trying hard to make healthy red blood cells? Do you think that we should go see a hematologist?
Hello. The hematology picture is typical of iron deficiency anemia with typical low serum ferritin stores and high MCV values. She has been rightly prescribed Iron supplement by the gynaecologist and should continue it for a month and then repeat her iron profile. Bone marrow is working to make fresh red blood cells or reticulocytes which is a physiological response to iron deficiency anaemia, so there is no apparent need to is it a hematologist as such, but for detailed clarification, you can always opt so.