The aim of this study was to establish whether extremely low serum
ferritin values in female athletes were associated with indications of
iron deficiency anemia and whether serum
ferritin values were influenced by the type of training or participants' body size. Hematological data collected during 6 years at the Australian Institute of Sport were reviewed to quantify changes in serum
ferritin concentration associated with training and to establish whether decrements in serum
ferritin were associated with any change in
hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, or mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. Mean serum
ferritin concentrations of 7.5 microg x L(-1) were not associated with any indication of
iron-deficiency anemia. Serum
ferritin declined by approximately 25% with the onset of rigorous daily training (p < .01) whether training was predominantly weight-bearing or non-weight-bearing. Rowers had significantly higher
ferritin concentrations than basketball players of similar stature (p=.02). We conclude that considerable background information such as the stage of training, specific sport, and previous blood results should be sought when interpreting serum
ferritin concentrations in female athletes.