Iron Deficiency is a BIG reason why women between the ages of 15-50 (so, a lot of us) are feeling way too tired.
It can be a really simple fix of fatigue for a lot of women. If you are feeling extra sleepy, needing to take naps, or maybe you’re getting shortness of breath (finding you need to catch your breath when you walk up some stairs), getting heart palpitations (it feels like your heart is going to beat out of your chest) or you’re noticing some hair loss then you should have your iron levels checked. These can all be symptoms of an iron deficiency.
Feeling Tired
Shortness of Breath
Heart Palpitations
Hair Loss
We want our Ferritin levels (which is the storage form of iron that we check on bloodwork) to be 80-100 ng/mL
With ferritin levels <10 ng/mL you will have anemia. Don’t let it get that low.
With Ferritin levels <10 ng/mL you will have anemia.
Low levels of iron is something I see almost every day. This is because I’m often working with women that are pregnant or struggling with hormone and period issues a lot of the time. It’s more common to develop an iron deficiency after pregnancy or if you’re having really heavy periods. One of my patients had an iron deficiency which wasn’t fully corrected until late in her pregnancy. In her third trimester she was saying she had the best energy she’s ever had and no more shortness of breath even being SO pregnant!
I get that iron supplements have their drawbacks. They can be constipating and cause nausea. Naturopathic Doctors generally recommend a higher quality iron supplement so that while using a lower dosage it can be more easily absorbed to ensure ferritin levels are rising just as quickly as with a higher dosage. This isn’t right for everyone, so it’s important to speak to your naturopath or family doctor about which iron supplement is right for you.
You can also have too much iron. Too much is toxic. Don’t take iron without testing your blood levels.
Iron Rich Foods include Red Meat, Chicken, Lentils and Spinach.
If you’re feeling tired ask your naturopathic doctor to test your iron levels with bloodwork.