Dr Cory Dugan

Iron risk self-assessment

A short, plain-language check of the risk factors and symptoms linked to iron deficiency, with a short educational summary at the end. A ferritin blood test confirms iron status.

A self-assessment

  • It walks through the risk factors and symptoms most associated with iron deficiency, then reflects your answers back as an educational summary you can take to your general practitioner (GP).
  • It does not diagnose anything. Only blood tests ordered by your clinician, such as iron studies including ferritin and transferrin saturation, can confirm iron status.
  • The risk factors and questions are drawn from my screening research and the published evidence base, including the IRON-5 screening instrument (Vinge et al., 2026).
  • An open demonstration version, configured for a workforce and run by your team, is part of the workplace screening build. See the workplaces page.

The questions

Answer what you can, then select "See my summary".

Risk factors

A few questions about things linked in research to iron demand or loss.

Thinking about your periods over the last year, do you often soak through a pad or tampon in an hour, pass large clots, or bleed enough that it disrupts your day?
Are you currently pregnant, or have you been pregnant in the last 12 months?
Would you describe your usual diet as vegetarian, vegan, or generally low in red meat?
Do you donate blood a few times a year or more?
Do you train hard most weeks, for example distance running, cycling, triathlon, or another endurance sport?
Have you been diagnosed with a gut condition that affects absorption, such as coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's or ulcerative colitis)?
Do you regularly take anti-inflammatory painkillers (like ibuprofen or aspirin), or have you ever been told you have bleeding in your gut?
Have you ever been told by a doctor that your iron was low, or that you were anaemic?
Have you had weight-loss (bariatric) or stomach surgery?
Have you already had a ferritin blood test?

Symptoms

These are common and non-specific, so on their own they mean little. They add colour to your summary.

Over the last few weeks, have you felt unusually tired or low on energy, even when you have rested?
Do you get more out of breath than you would expect during everyday activity or exercise, or notice your usual training feels harder?
Do you often feel dizzy or lightheaded, for example when standing up?
Have you noticed more trouble concentrating, brain fog, low mood, or irritability lately?
In the evening or at night, do you get an uncomfortable urge to move your legs that eases when you move them?
Do you get strong cravings to chew ice, or urges to eat non-food things like clay, chalk, or dirt?
Have you noticed more hair shedding or thinning than usual over the past few months?
Have you, or people who know you, noticed you looking paler than usual (skin, lips, or inside the lower eyelids)?
Do you often feel cold when the people around you are comfortable, especially in your hands and feet?
Have you noticed your heart racing, pounding or fluttering when you have not been exerting yourself?
Have your nails become brittle or ridged, or started to curve upwards like a shallow spoon?
Have you felt anxious, on edge or unsettled more than usual lately?
Do you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, or wake feeling unrefreshed?
Have you been getting more headaches than usual?
Have you noticed ringing, buzzing or whooshing in your ears?
Has your tongue felt sore, or looked smoother or redder than usual?
Have your hair or skin felt drier than they used to?

Sending this stores your answers together with your email, so the summary can be written for you. Your email is used for that summary, and for the occasional note only if you tick the box. Ask me to delete either at any time. Privacy policy.

Guides and a discovery call

Read the plain-language guides on iron deficiency. Your general practitioner (GP) comes first for any blood test. Once you have your results, a free discovery call can help you make sense of them.

See the guides Book a discovery call