What laboratory tests can my doctor order to assess heavy flow?
One of the consequences of heavy flow is loss of iron that is needed for hemoglobin to carry oxygen in red blood cells—low iron levels cause anemia (low hematocrit or hemoglobin which are commonly called “a low blood count”). Ferritin which shows how much iron is stored in the bone marrow could be ordered if heavy flow has been going on for a while, if you have started iron therapy, or you eat a vegetarian diet that tends to be low in iron. Ferritin can be low (because the savings account is empty) even if the hemoglobin and hematocrit are normal (the chequing account is not yet empty). Sometimes, heavy bleeding means a miscarriage so your doctor might order a pregnancy test.
