Iron Deficiency Symptoms In Women

Iron deficiency symptoms are not very hard to detect provided you know them. However, many a times the iron deficiency symptoms get passed over as casual fatigue and tiredness. A state were you chronically have iron deficiency is called anemia. The signs of anemia are commonly seen in small children and women. Especially for Indian women, the signs of anemia are extremely common.

Iron deficiency symptoms can often be fought with simple diet changes or cheap nutritional supplements. Women are prone to iron deficiency much more than men. This is partly due to their monthly period. Women also face iron deficiency after or during a pregnancy. Childbirth draws heavily on the iron reserves of the body.

So the signs of anemia in women deserve special attention. If you are a woman and you face any of the following iron deficiency symptoms regularly, then you must have blood test for haemoglobin immediately.

Check out these iron deficiency symptoms so that you can fight anemia at the core.

Black Outs

Black Outs

Do you suddenly feel that everything is going blank or black in front of your eyes. This is a minor form of fainting that can happen because of iron deficiency.

Fatigue

Fatigue

If you feel tired all the time then it is a cause of concern. It is normal to feel tired after a hard day's work. But if you are tired even after 8 hours of sleep then it is fatigue due to iron deficiency.

Pale Complexion

Pale Complexion

One of the most visible symptoms of iron deficiency is pale complexion. If you have a whitish pallor or your skin loses colour then it is probably due to anemia.

Headaches

Headaches

When there is less iron in the body, sufficient blood is not produced by the bone marrow. As a result, the brain gets less supply of blood and thus the nagging headaches.

Brittle Nails

Brittle Nails

At first your nails will become pale and colourless like your skin. And then they will become brittle and break easily.

High Heart Rate

High Heart Rate

Since there is less amount of blood in the body, the heart has to work harder to pump it to all the parts of the body. Thus palpitations and a higher heart rate is a common iron deficiency symptom.

Irregular Periods

Irregular Periods

When there is less haemoglobin in your blood, your body tries to preserve as much blood as it can. You may have less flow of menstrual blood or even miss your period if you have iron deficiency.

Shortness of Breath

Shortness of Breath

Haemoglobin that is produced from iron is the oxygen carrier of the blood. And with low iron reserves, the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood comes down significantly.

Cold Feet

Cold Feet

Are your hands and feet perpetually cold? This could be a pertinent iron deficiency symptom. Blood is warm and responsible for the body temperature. When there is deficiency of blood, your extremities become cold.

Story first published: Monday, July 1, 2013, 18:32 [IST]
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