Can Low Iron Cause Heavy Periods

What Else Can Cause Anemia

There are several different types of anemia, and each can have different causes. Some of the most common causes are:

• Low iron intake. Not getting enough iron in your diet can lead to anemia. Iron deficiency anemia can also develop if your body doesnt absorb iron properly, which can happen with certain conditions, such as Crohns disease.

Can I Always Get Enough Iron From Food During My Periods

You can get iron from food. It may not be enough to meet your daily intake due to menstruation. Women can lose up to half a pint of blood during each menstrual cycle.

Even if you are making an effort to ingest more iron by eating meat. Most health authorities recommend a safe upper intake of only 500g of red meat per week. Several factors must be present before our bodies can absorb iron and use it. A healthy digestive system and an adequate amounts of nutrients such as zinc, vitamin C, and B complex. Proteins that carry the nutrients into the bloodstream need to be in our diet for the absorption of iron.

Some iron-rich foods include:

• Dark, leafy greens.

Avoid caffeine immediately after your meals, since this substance can decrease iron absorption. Vitamin C, on the other hand, can make it easier for your digestive system to absorb iron.

Signs Your Periods Are Fueling Low Iron Levels

When it comes to your period, knowing whats normal and whats not can help you learn to spot the signs of iron-deficiency anemia. Heavy or long periods can fuel low iron levels, but how do you know?

Below, our team here at Womens Health Services shares the top tips that your heavy menstrual bleeding is affecting your iron stores.

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Identifying And Managing Iron Deficiency In The Adolescent With Hmb

Low serum ferritin is predictive of excessive menstrual blood loss of > 80 mL.38 As a result, iron deficiency with and without anemia is commonly found in young women with HMB, with a prevalence of 51% in our own patient registry of young women with HMB.39 Because iron is an essential component of hemoglobin, myoglobin, and several metabolic enzymes, symptoms of iron deficiency may be caused by impairment of metabolic functions in tissues other than the bone marrow. The most common symptom of iron deficiency is fatigue, and fatigue severity scores in young women with HMB have been shown to be significantly higher than those in healthy female controls.40 Iron deficiency without anemia has also been related to increased muscle fatigue and decreased verbal learning and memory in adolescents.41–43 Therefore, it is important to assess not only hemoglobin level but also ferritin level when evaluating an adolescent with HMB. Definitions of iron deficiency vary, but serum ferritin < 15 g/L is a commonly used cutoff.44,45

Understanding The Connection Between Iron And Red Blood Cells

Anemia is a common blood condition that happens when you have low red blood cell levels. Symptoms of anemia include:

• Shortness of breath

Your red blood cells carry oxygen throughout your body , and your body needs iron to help make those red blood cells.

There are many reasons why you might have low red blood cell counts, and inadequate iron stores is one of them. Bleeding, including heavy bleeding of menorrhagia, can deplete your bodys iron stores and contribute to anemia.

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How Is Iron Deficiency Anemia Diagnosed

To diagnose iron deficiency anemia, your healthcare provider will first take a medical and family history. Then theyll do a physical exam. If you have heavy periods, this will likely include a pelvic exam.

The main test for anemia is a complete blood count. Your healthcare provider will draw blood and do a test to count your red blood cells. This test can also tell your provider how much iron your cells store.

These tests are usually enough to make a diagnosis. But depending on your symptoms and what type of anemia your healthcare provider thinks you may have, you may need other tests.

Heavy Periods Can Have Several Causes But What Is Important To Remember Is That It Isnt Good For Your Health But These Iron

Stress, hormonal imbalance, medication, and even rigorous exercising any of these reasons can make you profusely bleed during your periods. Heavy bleeding during periods is termed as menorrhagia. But the problem arises when there is prolonged bleeding that often leads to iron deficiency.

According to gynecologists, menorrhagia is so severe in certain cases that it can lead to anemia in some females. Iron is a critical nutrient. as it is responsible for the creation of red blood cells in your body. Low levels of RBCs lead to fatigue, fast heart rate, and shortness of breath.

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Iron is much-needed during menstruation, as there is a blood loss. Periods can cause iron-deficiency anaemia if the iron you lose during the cycle is not replaced by the iron in the diet. Heavy menstrual cycle does not mean that you will be anaemic , unless your diet is deficient in iron-rich foods. Hence, adding iron supplements or even iron-rich food to the diet can be a good idea, says Priya Palan, a dietitian working with Zen Multispecialty Hospital, Mumbai.

HERE ARE FIVE IRON-RICH FOODS SUPPLEMENTS THAT DIETICIAN PRIYA PALAN RECOMMENDS MAINTAIN THE RBC LEVELS IN YOUR BODY:

Also, read: Struggling with anemia? Here is a guide to eating your way to better iron absorption

2. Dates, raisins and dried apricot are loaded with iron, magnesium, and calcium that help you build a strong immune system.

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What To Do About Heavy Periods

Getting a diagnosis is the first step to finding relief from period-related anemia and other symptoms. Dr. McDonald and Dr. Wilson are experts in identifying common causes of abnormal bleeding.

Hormonal birth control is often a good option for women who want to have children in the future. These birth control options can regulate your menstrual cycle and reduce or even eliminate menstrual flow.

For women who dont want to have children, there are other options. Endometrial ablation is a common treatment for endometriosis, and a hysterectomy is another permanent option to eliminate menstrual bleeding.

If your period is getting in the way of your health and happiness, visit us at OB/GYN Specialists. Were here to help you understand the cause and potential complications of your heavy periods. Call our Denton, Texas, office today at 940-202-0566 for your first appointment, or send the team a message here on our website.

What Are The Symptoms Of Iron Deficiency Anemia

Iron deficiency anemia can develop over a long period of time, which is why its so easy to overlook it. The symptoms of period-related anemia can vary greatly from one person to the next, but the most common ones include:

• Angular cheilosis
• Conjunctival pallor
• If youre anemic, your tissues and organs arent getting the oxygen they need. Thats why people with anemia tend to feel tired, dizzy, and fatigued.

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Diagnosis And Treatment Of Ida

A heath care provider can give you a simple blood test to determine whether or not you have IDA. “We check to see the total iron level in the blood and the ability of the blood to carry iron,” said Duke. “It’s a straightforward test and it’s inexpensive, even without insurance.”

Treatment of IDA is also fairly straightforward. “If it’s severe, sometimes we do sessions of intravenous iron infusions, usually over the course of four to six weeks,” said Dr. Duke. “If it’s moderate to mild iron deficiency, I start patients on an oral version of iron.”

You might need to supplement with iron regularly, especially to compensate for blood lost due to HUB. While HUB is commonnearly 25 percent of women have HUBmany don’t know that experiencing it for six months or more may lead to IDA. “Some women have to stay on iron, especially if they don’t get enough in their diet. Women who are vegan, for example, tend to have low dietary iron intake so may need long-term iron supplementation,” explained Duke.

How Do You Know If You Have Hub

There’s bleeding, and then there’s bleeding that seems more like a rushing river. In fact, HUB is defined by heavy bleeding or bleeding that lasts more than seven days. Other symptoms of HUB to watch for include needing to change your pad or tampon overnight and passing blood clots that are quarter-sized or larger.

Duke said a good way to gauge your bleeding is to look at how quickly you go through menstrual products: “If you use pads and need to change your pad more than every couple hours, that’s too heavy.” She added, “I spend a lot of time explaining this to patients because, growing up, nobody really tells you what qualifies as heavy, light or normal bleeding.”

About one out of four American women has been diagnosed with HUB, making it a common condition. Yet many women with HUB don’t consider it a problem worth mentioning to their health care providers. “I would say about 40 percent of women with heavy uterine bleeding are acutely aware of it and come in complaining of heavy bleeding,” says Duke. “More often, though, it comes out as we go through a patient’s medical history.”

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Stomach Acid And Anemia

If you have ANYTHING driving low stomach acid then you can NOT get your dietary iron free and therefore cant absorb it. Bummer.

If you take acid blockers daily or just when you feel the burn then know this could be messing with your iron absorption not to mention other vitamins and minerals.

Heartburn and low iron? Try Digest, which supplies HCl and other digestive support to help you get the most out of your nutrients.

What Are Ida Complications

Although anemia is a relatively simple condition, it can negatively affect many areas of your life. Anemia can make it much harder for you to carry out your daily activities or any action that requires physical effort or concentration. It also affects your physical appearance, since it can make you look pale.

Since anemia tends to develop in an insidious manner, it usually causes symptoms that gradually worsen over time. Its common for patients with anemia to report that they dont even remember when they started to feel tired, but that their symptoms have increased over the years or months.

The treatment for anemia is simple but, if left untreated, anemia can become dangerous. Some of the most important complications of anemia include:

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Are Your Bleeding Symptoms Normal

Many organizations are now focused on increasing public knowledge about bleeding disorders. The recognition that women can also have hemophilia is increasing through the efforts of organizations like the World Federation of Hemophilia.

The role of novel therapies for women with hemophilia isnt clear, and additional research is required to understand exactly why these women bleed. One recent study from my lab showed that the blood clotting system of hemophilia carriers doesnt react to hemostatic stress as well as it does in healthy controls. A rapid and sustained increase of blood clotting factors is required to halt bleeding following injury and this was significantly impaired in hemophilia carriers.

If you are wondering if you have a bleeding disorder, the Self-BAT is freely available and can tell you if your bleeding symptoms are normal or abnormal.

This tool analyzes information about your bleeding symptoms to generate a bleeding score. A high bleeding score is associated with an increased chance of having an underlying bleeding disorder and should be discussed with your doctor.

Significant advances have been made in understanding the problems faced by women with bleeding disorders. More research and education is needed so that all women are diagnosed and treated properly.

Managing Hmb In The Adolescent Patient

The hematologist should be familiar with management strategies for both acute and chronic heavy menses. In the acute setting, a patient is typically hospitalized to receive a packed red cell transfusion for severe anemia and achieve cessation of bleeding. Although management decisions may be driven by the admitting hospitalist, adolescent specialist, or gynecologist, the hematologist may be asked to weigh in on the benefit of additive antifibrinolytics or may be asked to advise on the appropriate management for a patient with a suspected or confirmed bleeding disorder. In the outpatient setting, hematologists often play a leading role in HMB management for patients with inherited bleeding disorders. A growing number of multidisciplinary clinics have been established in which hematologists work side-by-side with gynecologists or adolescent medicine specialists to provide a comprehensive medical home for women seeking evaluation and management of HMB.49

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Conquer Anemia & Menorrhagia Now

With the diet, supplements and root cause medicine you can start feeling healthier and more energetic in no time.

I invite you to explore my Period Problems Solution Course to get on a hormone-regulating regimen that will help stop heavy periods that can contribute to iron deficiency anemia.

In it we can help you unlock the cause of your heavy bleeding and anemia, so you can ditch those period problems and enjoy lighter, easier periods and a whole more more energy.

We believe strongly in using food as medicine. Here is a sample meal plan from my clinic that we use in our online programs to support women with iron deficiency anemia and menorrhagia.

Common Symptoms Of Anemia Include:

• General fatigue
• Strange cravings
• Beeturia When your urine turns red after eating beets.

Quick Detour: Beeturia is totally a thing. You eat beets. Your pee turns red. And your freak out. Or maybe you think it is normal. It is estimated 49 to 80% of people with beeturia have iron deficiency anemia. If you see this, get tested.

Three subtle signs of anemia that women can miss are pale skin, strange cravings, and anxiety. For Nikki, she just figured she needed more sun, that her crazy desire to crunch ice was due to stress and that her anxiety was genetic.

Its amazing how often we will negotiate with our symptoms and rationalize them away. As women, weve become conditioned to dismiss our own experience and believe there must be something else to the experience. Hey, Im not judging, Im just sayinghonor your body talking to you, which is what symptoms are.

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How Do Heavy Periods Cause Iron Deficiency

Heavy menstrual bleeding can increase your risk of iron deficiency and makes you susceptible to iron deficiency anemia. This type of anemia is associated with several symptoms, including pale skin, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, headaches, and shortness of breath.

When you lose blood during menstruation, you also lose the iron found in those red blood cells. If your dietary iron intake does not replace the iron you lose during your period, you may develop iron deficiency anemia.7

Stages of iron deficiency:

• Iron depletion: hemoglobin levels are normal but you only have a small amount of iron stored. This stage may not cause symptoms.
• Iron deficiency: your iron stores and blood iron levels are very low. You may experience tiredness or weakness.
• Iron deficiency anemia: your red blood cells have low hemoglobin because of prolonged iron deficiency. Having low hemoglobin means your body is unable to deliver oxygen to the cells of your body including your brain. It also affects your immune system and you may become more vulnerable to infection.

What Tests Might Be Needed For Heavy Periods

Your doctor might do or advise one or more of the following tests:

• An examination to see whether the bleeding is coming from your cervix, not your uterus. This is done in a similar way as a cervical smear or HPV screening test.
• Blood tests to look for anaemia, iron levels, thyroid disease or a bleeding disorder.
• An ultrasound of your uterus and ovaries to detect abnormalities in your uterus, such as polyps or fibroids.
• A cervical smear in which a sample of cells is collected from your cervix and then looked at to see if you have an infection, inflammation or changes in the cells that might be or cause cancer.
• A sample of the lining of the uterus to see whether there are any precancerous or cancerous changes.

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First: What Is Anemia

Anemia is the reduction in red blood cells or hemoglobin within the body . Hemoglobin is an iron-containing protein within your red blood cells. Hemoglobin binds and transports oxygen molecules to the cells of your body. With fewer red blood cells, your body cannot receive enough oxygen and function optimally.

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