Periods are a fact of life. Many women who experience heavy bleeding are also living with iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia, a condition that is both underdiagnosed and undertreated.
Emily, 32, experienced fatigue and dizziness due to iron deficiency anemia. Here’s how she described her experience: “Sometimes I had to sit back down again so that I didn’t pass out. I got headaches and was really exhausted all the time; too tired to go out with my friends. The tiredness bothered me the most. The world seemed foggy all the time, I couldn’t concentrate and sometimes I had to really fight to stay awake, even at work.”
![Menstruating women can experience low iron levels. Some signs are fatigue, headache and feeling cold.](https://www.csl.com/-/media/shared/vita-2023/menstruationironlevels_infographic_1600w_final.jpg?h=2499&iar=0&w=1600&hash=B9132C4CFE336E6FAFA7A6648879951B)