2023-10-21 13:20:00
According to The New York Timesapproximately 35% of women of childbearing age in the United States do not have sufficient amounts of iron in their bodies, a proportion which rises to 25% in France.
Iron deficiency in women: what are the symptoms?
“Iron deficiency anemia is often well tolerated by the body and does not cause any symptoms when it begins, because it sets in very gradually. It can then be revealed by a blood test carried out for another reason”, explains Health Insurance.
But if the drop in hemoglobin level becomes more significant, various symptoms may appear. There are signs specific to anemia, such as pallor, increased sensitivity to cold, heart palpitations, fatigue, shortness of breath on exertion, headaches, feeling of “dizzy”, dizziness, dizziness or weakness when getting up from a chair. Characteristic manifestations of iron deficiency, such as dry skin and hair or brittle nails, may also appear.
Women lacking iron may also be irritable, according to Malcolm Munro, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Iron deficiency in women: what to do?
If these symptoms appear, a consultation with your doctor is essential. After examining his patient, the general practitioner orders a blood test to establish the diagnosis of anemia.
On a daily basis, for adults, iron needs differ depending on gender: one milligram (mg) for a man and two mg for a woman between puberty and menopause. A normal diet provides around 10 to 15 mg of iron per day, but only 5 to 10% is absorbed by the body.
In the event of a deficiency, it is therefore recommended to favor foods rich in iron such as red meat, blood sausage, liver, dried vegetables (lentils), eggs, etc. If this is not enough, supplements can also be prescribed by the doctor.
“Heavy menstrual bleeding is the main cause of high rates of iron deficiency in non-pregnant adult women. After menopause, when women stop bleeding, their hemoglobin levels tend to equalize with those of men,” explains the site Slate.fr.
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