Women are at a much higher risk of iron deficiency, especially menstruating and pregnant women. However, iron level screenings aren’t usually a priority, resulting in many women experiencing unexplained symptoms that lower their quality of life. We want to share the importance of iron, as well as signs of iron deficiency and how to get the most accurate blood panel to test for anemia, so keep reading to learn more!
Why Iron Is Important
Iron is a mineral required for making hemoglobin, a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout your body. While you may not notice symptoms for a while, iron deficiency can result in feeling tired all of the time, headaches, dizziness, and more. Iron deficiency is particularly harmful for pregnant women, as their iron stores go towards fetal development. Low iron levels could negatively affect the pregnancy and contribute to preeclampsia and other concerns.
Anemia: Causes & Risk Factors
Iron deficiency can affect women due to many factors and causes, some of the most common being heavy menstruation, pregnancy, and postpartum. Autoimmune conditions such as Crohn’s, IBS, Celiac disease, or Ulcerative Colitis could also be the culprit, as these and other gastrointestinal issues such as diverticulitis are linked with blood loss and/or poor iron absorption. Diet is also a key factor when it comes to low iron; those who don’t eat heme iron sources, which come from animal proteins, are more likely to develop iron deficiency because heme iron has much greater bioavailability compared to non-heme iron, which is found in plants.
Signs of Iron Deficiency in Women
A few of the most common anemia symptoms include:
- Pale or yellow (“sallow”) skin
- Chronic fatigue
- Generalized weakness
- Rapid heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
- Pounding or “whooshing” sound in ears
- Headaches
- Brittle nails
- Hair loss
- Inflamed or sore tongue
Women with low iron may also experience cold hands and feet, dizziness or lightheadedness, as well as a condition called pica, where you crave non-food items such as dirt, clay, chalk, or ice. You may not have all of these symptoms, but even if you just notice one or two, you should get a blood test to check your ion levels.
Anemia Support at Dr. Autoimmune
No matter where you live, the specialists at Dr. Autoimmune can provide remote care and personalized solutions to your health concerns. We will work to understand the root cause of your iron deficiency with the help of a detailed blood panel that tests the following iron and anemia markers: ferritin, iron, UIBC, TIBC, transferrin, and transferrin saturation. A standard iron panel will only test serum iron levels which only provides the most basic information. We ensure we get the most comprehensive data in order to see the big picture. From there, we will be able to create a custom care plan that not only boosts your iron levels but also enhances your overall health.
Why isn't my doctor able to find the root cause of my Anemia?
Although modern diagnostics like upper endoscopy and colonoscopy can be life-saving and are part of the workup in anemia, these tests are “macroscopic”. Meaning, they are finding large lesions and problems whereas most of the time the real issues are “microscopic”, meaning they are not visible to the naked eye. Leaky gut, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and dysbiosis, food sensitivities, histamine reactions, and environmental triggers are all implicated in absorption. Unless you focus on the root causes and utilize testing (and support) like our GI Map or Wheat Zoomer amongst others, it's going to be a long shot in finding the root causes!
What does it mean if I do poorly with Iron therapy?
According to Dr. Autoimmune (Ian Hollaman, DC, MSc, IFMCP) poor response to iron therapy typically indicates a gastrointestinal mechanism of Anemia. Meaning, that if you get gas, bloating, upset stomach, and do poorly with iron therapy there is a chance that microbes are growing from the iron therapy and causing the symptoms you suffer with. Another factor can also be hidden fibroids which actually thrive off Iron therapy! Nailing down the correct root causes typically causes significant improvement within the first month of support. In fact, Dr. Ian and his team rarely use Iron therapy and instead rely on the expertise of Stevie Chaddock, MSc and reliable testing to pinpoint the real problems!
Now that you know more about the signs of iron deficiency in women, take the first step toward improving your health by reaching out to our experts! Get started today and let our online functional medicine doctors help you. We look forward to hearing from you!
