All lab testsIron & Anemia
Iron status from a single ferritin to a full anemia workup: ferritin, iron & TIBC, the iron panel, transferrin, and the Baseline Anemia and Comprehensive Anemia panels. Drawn at Quest or Labcorp, results in 1-3 business days, no referral needed.
8 options in this category · browse every category
8 tests & panels
Measures your body's iron stores — the most sensitive early indicator of iron deficiency.
$30 at other labs
$21.99
+ $6 lab processing fee
The pernicious anemia workup in one Labcorp draw
$199.99
+ $6 lab processing fee
Find the cause of your fatigue and low energy
$175 at other labs
$74.99
+ $6 lab processing fee
Pinpoint the cause of your anemia
$300 at other labs
$169.99
+ $6 lab processing fee
The specific blood test for pernicious anemia — antibodies that block intrinsic factor, the protein your stomach makes so you can absorb vitamin B12.
$159.99
+ $6 lab processing fee
Measures serum iron and your body's iron-binding capacity to evaluate iron deficiency or overload.
$50 at other labs
$25.99
+ $6 lab processing fee
The most comprehensive iron assessment — combines iron, TIBC, and ferritin in one panel.
$55 at other labs
$32.99
+ $6 lab processing fee
The protein that carries iron in your blood — useful for evaluating iron transport and nutritional status.
$30 at other labs
$23.99
+ $6 lab processing fee
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Anemia means too little hemoglobin to carry oxygen comfortably, and the tests fall into two groups: those that show whether you are anemic, and those that show why. A CBC answers the first question. Ferritin, iron, TIBC and transferrin answer the most common version of the second — iron deficiency — while B12, folate, kidney and thyroid markers cover the other usual causes. Fatigue, breathlessness on stairs, pale skin, brittle nails, restless legs, heavy periods or a plant-based diet are the usual reasons people look.
Every test is a standard blood draw at a Quest, Labcorp or BioReference patient service center after a licensed physician reviews the order, with most results in 1–3 business days. Iron, TIBC and transferrin are best drawn fasting in the morning because a meal or an iron tablet taken that day pushes serum iron up for hours; ferritin and the CBC do not need fasting.
| If you want to… | Order | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tired, pale or short of breath and want to know if iron stores are low | Ferritin$21.99 · single test | Ferritin is the body’s iron store and the first test to fall in iron deficiency — often before the CBC changes |
| Checking whether low iron is the problem, with the full iron picture | Iron Panel (Iron, TIBC & Ferritin)$32.99 · single test | Iron, TIBC, transferrin saturation and ferritin together — the standard iron-deficiency work-up |
| A ferritin result that is hard to read (inflammation, liver disease, obesity) | Iron & TIBC$25.99 · single test | Serum iron and TIBC give transferrin saturation, which is not inflated by inflammation the way ferritin is |
| Monitoring transferrin directly, or suspected iron overload | Transferrin$23.99 · single test | Transferrin is the iron-carrying protein; high in deficiency, low in overload and in poor nutrition |
| Fatigue with no obvious cause: is it anemia, and which kind? | Baseline Anemia Panel$74.99 · 5 tests | CBC with ferritin, iron and TIBC, B12 and folate — confirms anemia and separates the common causes in one draw |
| Anemia that has not responded to iron, or is unexplained after the basic work-up | Comprehensive Anemia Workup$169.99 · 8 tests | Adds reticulocytes, haptoglobin and LDH — whether red cells are being made too slowly or destroyed too fast |
| Heavy periods or a recent pregnancy | Baseline Anemia Panel$74.99 · 5 tests | Blood loss is the leading cause of iron deficiency in women; the panel checks both the count and the stores |
| Endurance athlete or frequent blood donor | Ferritin$21.99 · single test | Stores drop before hemoglobin does; a ferritin trend catches it early |
Symptoms are the usual trigger: tiredness out of proportion to activity, breathlessness on exertion, a racing heart, headaches, cold hands and feet, pale skin or inner eyelids, brittle or spoon-shaped nails, hair shedding, restless legs, and cravings for ice or non-food items (pica), which is strongly linked to iron deficiency. Risk factors justify testing without symptoms: heavy menstrual bleeding, pregnancy or the year after it, a vegetarian or vegan diet, regular blood donation, endurance training, gastric bypass or celiac disease, long-term use of acid-reducing medication, and any unexplained bleeding from the bowel, which always needs a clinician.
Iron deficiency develops in stages. Ferritin falls first, while hemoglobin is still normal — the “iron deficiency without anemia” that causes fatigue and poor exercise tolerance on its own. Then transferrin saturation drops, and only later does the CBC show small, pale red cells and a low hemoglobin. Testing ferritin, not just a CBC, is what catches the early stage.
Ferritin reflects stored iron; a low value is specific for deficiency, but ferritin also rises with inflammation, infection, liver disease and obesity, so a normal or high value does not exclude deficiency in those settings. Serum iron is the iron in transit and swings with meals and the time of day, which is why it is read with TIBC — the blood’s capacity to bind iron, which rises when stores are low. Dividing iron by TIBC gives transferrin saturation; under about 20 percent suggests deficiency, over about 45 percent raises the question of overload. Transferrin itself is the carrier protein and moves with TIBC. Read together, the pattern is usually clear: low ferritin, low saturation and high TIBC is iron deficiency; normal or high ferritin with low saturation points to inflammation holding iron back.
Large red cells on the CBC point to B12 or folate deficiency, thyroid disease, liver disease or alcohol; normal-sized cells with a low count raise chronic disease, kidney disease (low erythropoietin) or recent blood loss. The baseline anemia panel covers B12 and folate alongside iron; the comprehensive work-up adds reticulocytes, haptoglobin and LDH, which show whether red cells are being made too slowly or destroyed too fast. Two results need a same-day call to a clinician rather than a portal read: a very low hemoglobin, and any anemia accompanied by black or bloody stools, which can signal bleeding from the digestive tract.
A complete blood count (CBC) confirms anemia by measuring hemoglobin and red cell size. Ferritin, iron and TIBC then show whether iron deficiency is the cause; B12 and folate cover the other common causes. The anemia panels bundle these.
Ferritin. It falls before hemoglobin does, so it catches deficiency early; the iron panel adds serum iron, TIBC and transferrin saturation to confirm the pattern when ferritin is borderline or inflammation is present.
For serum iron, TIBC and transferrin, yes — a morning draw after an overnight fast, and skip any iron supplement until after the draw. Ferritin and the CBC do not require fasting.
Yes. Iron stores (ferritin) fall first while hemoglobin is still normal, and this stage alone causes fatigue, poor exercise tolerance, hair shedding and restless legs. It is why ferritin is tested, not just a CBC.
Laboratories flag ferritin below about 12–30 ng/mL as deficient depending on the reference range; many clinicians treat symptoms with ferritin under about 30, and higher targets are used in heart failure and for restless legs. Your clinician sets the target for your situation.
Hemoglobin typically begins rising within two to four weeks and ferritin takes months to rebuild; a recheck at about three months shows whether the plan is working.
Educational only — not a diagnosis. Discuss any result outside the reference range with a clinician.