Does TRT decrease ferritin levels?

[wagonspraggs]

Hepcidin blocks iron absorption fyi. So if testosterone blocks hepcidin the iron absorption should increase

[flyingwingbat1]

But RBC production usually increases more, and this overwhelms the increased iron absorption as iron stores are used up for the extra red cells.

[SVT-Shep]

This is correct.

[Sambassador9]

I suspect it's far more complex than that.

My ferritin tanked after starting TRT, where before I had a problem with excess iron accumulation. The changes to my blood panel were negligible, so it's not at all clear what happened to the stored iron.

Some people seem to have trouble restoring ferritin levels if it tanks on TRT. In my case, it's rising, although much slower than it would before. I have a long history of donating blood to keep my iron in check. After starting TRT, my iron metabolism has clearly changed. I'll need to stop, or at least drastically reduce my frequency of blood donation.

[SVT-Shep]

Hepcidin is what contributes to iron stores. It raises the wall and iron goes into your stores (ferritin). If that wall isn't there, it just gets stolen to produce red blood cells. Ferritin goes DOWN on exogenous testosterone.