Serum Ferritin in the Evaluation of Iron Status in Young Healthy Women

The iron stores of 17 healthy young women were evaluated by a serum ferritin assay and by bone marrow iron determinations. Iron stores were absent or scanty in about 70% of subjects. A high degree of correlation was demonstrated between serum ferritin concentration and bone marrow iron stores. The mean serum ferritin level in women with absent iron stores was 26 microgram/l, compared with 114 microgram/l in women with sufficient bone marrow iron stores. Repeated measurements of serum ferritin, iron, transferrin and blood hemoglobin during the menstrual cycle revealed no significant changes in these parameters.