Orders before 16:00 on a working day are shipped the same day and usually arrive the next working day with Swiss Post.

The test kit will contain all the necessary material for you to collect a small blood sample from your finger.

Never done that before? Don't worry, detailed video instructions are provided and thousands of customers have used them to successfully take their sample.

Next, you put your sample into the provided Retourbox and drop it off in a Swiss Post mailbox. It will be analysed by our Swiss laboratory partner, Medisyn (formerly known as Synlab).

Your results will be available online 2-3 working days after sending your sample to the lab.

Iron has lots of functions in our body.

On the one hand, it is necessary for creating hemoglobin which is in turn responsible for transporting oxygen through our body).

Beyond that, it is necessary for synthesising several enzymes and proteins which not only contribute to our immune system and our brain functioning well, but are also important for good physical performance.

The two major risk factors for developing an iron deficiency:

1. Being a woman from the moment you get your first period - and start losing quite a bit of iron with each of those periods - to the moment when you stop menstruating
2. Not taking in enough iron through your food, which is often the case for vegans and vegetarians

A less common reason for iron deficiency is that your body needs more iron than normal which is the case during pregnancy or for elite athletes.

In some cases, your body might also have issues with absorbing iron you take in through your food. This can be caused by specific medications like PPIs or medical conditions like chronic gastritits.

Iron deficiency can cause a whole lot of not-so-awesome symptoms like:
- headache
- diminished cognitive function
- fatigue - that means always being tired
- depression
- impaired memory
- diminished exercise tolerance
- muscle and joint pain
- weight gain

Step 1: If you have an iron deficiency, a doctor will first rule out any serious health conditions which might be causing your iron deficiency.

Step 2: If things are all good on that front, an iron deficiency is treated with supplements. Supplements can be taken in the form of pills or, especially if you have a severe iron deficiency, your doctor might prescribe you an iron drip.

Important when taking supplements: Avoid drinking tea or coffee 2 hours before and after taking your supplement since both drinks negatively impact the absorbtion of iron. Better have some vitamin C - for example a glass of orange juice - which improves absorption in your body.

Step 3: Beyond that, you might want to get some dietary advice to up your iron intake with your daily food. That is also a good way to prevent iron deficiency in the future.

The best way to prevent iron deficiency is to

- test regularly
- and to fix the root cause of your iron deficiency - which is mostly a lack of iron in your diet.

By testing regularly, you can track, if you ferritin value - which is measured to determine your iron status - is sinking or might even already put you in a deficiency risk zone.

If you know this, you can avoid developing an iron deficiency by increasing your iron intake or taking supplements before you get into a deficiency zone.