Woman found out she was deficient in iron with £8 at-home test

At 26, Joanne wanted to enjoy an active life, but she felt “tired all the time” and “found it really hard to concentrate”.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Joanne said: “I had no energy to do much besides travelling to and from work, and I would immediately crash when I got home.”

When she called the doctor’s clinic, Joanne was told the next available appointment was around six weeks away.

“I didn’t want to take an earlier appointment away from someone who may need it more, so I had no choice but to wait for the earliest available appointment,” said Joanne.

“The fact that I had to wait six weeks before seeing the doctor made my worries increase,” Joanne shared.

Searching the internet, Joanne came across at-home tests provided by Newfoundland, which were available to buy at her local supermarket.

“It was only £8,” said Joanne, who found the test “easy to take” as the “instructions were made clear”.

Joanne added: “I did have to prick my finger which I wasn’t used to doing, but actually it was completely fine.

“I was pleased that I got the results back so quickly, with the test confirming that my iron levels were abnormal.”

Telling the doctor’s receptionist that tests had confirmed Joanne was deficient in iron, her doctor’s appointment got moved ahead. It was “now deemed a priority”, Joanne said.

At the doctor’s, Joanne had a blood test that confirmed she did indeed have low iron.

“I was prescribed iron supplements, which I’ve been taking for a few months now to get my levels back up again,” said Joanne.

“I still have a few months to go, but I feel so much better and back to my old energetic self.”

Joanne said: “I feel like I’m back to living my life to the fullest at work, socially with my friends and family and running and going to the gym.

“Given the marked improvement, I decided to take another iron deficiency test last week to check my progress and it showed my levels were normal again which is amazing.”

Newfoundland’s tests are available online and in Tesco stores across the UK.