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Transferrin Saturation Home kit
Iron · home kit

Transferrin Saturation

Iron, total iron-binding capacity and transferrin saturation — how much of your blood’s iron-carrying capacity is in use, the first check for both iron deficiency and iron overload.

Price £102 £84.99
Covers 3 markers
Type Home kit · posted to you
Order just this kit
Blood sample, collected at home
Collect in the morning, ideally before breakfast. Leave out iron supplements (including multivitamins with iron) for 24 hours before.
Free delivery — posted to any UK address
Results explained by our clinical team
About this test

Everything you need to know about Transferrin Saturation

Iron travels around the body attached to a carrier protein, transferrin. Transferrin saturation tells you what percentage of those carriers are loaded with iron. When it is low, there may not be enough iron reaching your tissues and bone marrow; when it is persistently high, iron may be building up in the body.

A raised transferrin saturation is usually the first sign of haemochromatosis, an inherited condition — common in people of Northern European, and especially Irish and Scottish, descent — in which the body absorbs too much iron. Left unnoticed it can damage the liver, heart, joints and pancreas, but it is very treatable when found early. This kit does not include ferritin, the measure of iron stores; the Iron Health Check covers both.

What's measured

What's included

3 markers in this test

Iron Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) Transferrin Saturation
Who it's for

Worth considering if

  • A family history of haemochromatosis
  • Joint pain, tiredness or raised liver results without a clear explanation
  • Taking iron supplements and checking you are not taking too much
  • Following up a previous high ferritin result
Important: A home test is not a diagnosis on its own. Where something needs looking at, we tell you what it means and what to do next. If you are unwell now, please see your GP or call 111 rather than waiting for a kit.
What to expect

Your home kit

1

Order online

Add the kit to your order — several kits can go in one order — and enter your delivery address. We post it to your door as soon as your payment reaches us, with free delivery.

2

Collect your sample at home

Follow the step-by-step instructions in the box. Collect in the morning, ideally before breakfast. Leave out iron supplements (including multivitamins with iron) for 24 hours before. Post the sample back the same day, Monday to Thursday, in the return packaging provided.

3

Results explained

Your results are released to your account with a written explanation from our clinical team.

Frequently Asked

Transferrin Saturation — FAQs

Why collect in the morning before eating?
Iron levels rise after meals and vary through the day. A morning sample before breakfast gives the most consistent transferrin saturation.
What does a high result mean?
A single high result is common after an iron-rich meal or supplements, so it is usually repeated on a fasting morning sample. If it stays high, our clinician may suggest checking ferritin and the haemochromatosis genes — our Inherited Iron Overload Risk Test, taken at the clinic, covers the main ones.
Does this check whether I am anaemic?
Not directly. Anaemia is diagnosed from haemoglobin in a full blood count. A low transferrin saturation suggests iron may be running short, but the full picture needs ferritin and haemoglobin too.
How does the kit reach me?
We post it to your address anywhere in the UK as soon as your order is paid, and email you when it has been dispatched. Delivery is free on every home blood test kit. Everything you need to collect your sample and send it back is in the box.
How do I collect the sample?
Your kit contains everything you need and step-by-step instructions. Read them through first, collect at the time of day this test needs (see the preparation note above), label the sample and pack it in the return packaging provided.
When should I post my sample back?
On the day you collect it, Monday to Thursday, and not the day before a bank holiday — so it reaches the laboratory quickly and does not sit in the post over a weekend. A sample that arrives too old may not be able to be analysed.
Can I order several kits at once?
Yes. Use “Add to order” on each kit and then “Order” in the bar at the bottom — they go into one order and one payment and are posted together. Clinic blood tests are booked separately, because they need an appointment rather than an address.
How do I pay?
Home kit orders are paid by bank transfer. When you place your order we show our bank details and your payment reference on screen and by email, and we post your kit as soon as the payment reaches us.
How do I get my results?
Once the laboratory has analysed your sample, your results are released to your secure account with a written explanation from our clinical team, and a call where something needs talking through. Turnaround depends on the test and starts when the laboratory receives your sample.
More home test kits

Often ordered together

Add several kits to one order — one payment, posted together.

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