If you are feeling dreadfully fatigued, have you ever considered that you might be anemic?  When a woman has an iron deficiency, she can become anemic.  Iron deficiency or anemia is considered an advanced phase of iron depletion.  Women are especially susceptible to becoming anemic because of pregnancy and menstrual periods.  If a pregnant woman is anemic, she may have a low-birth-weight infant.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements explains that iron is essential for our health.  If you don’t have enough, this can result in fatigue, decreased immunity and inability to perform your work because iron is needed to deliver oxygen to cells, including those in your brain.  Left untreated it can affect the heart.  Teenage girls need the most iron because they have the greatest need.

Women who are at a greater risk for low iron levels are female athletes, pregnant women, women who are of childbearing age, women who have had more than one child, those who use an intrauterine device and women who have heavy menstrual periods according to www.womenshealth.gov.

If you have kidney failure and are undergoing dialysis, keep in mind that this puts you at a higher risk for developing anemia because the kidneys can’t make enough of a hormone called Erythropoietin that is essential in the manufacturing of red blood cells.  Erythropoietin and iron can both be depleted during dialysis.

According to Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences,  the recommended daily iron allowance is 15 mg for non-pregnant 14- to 18-year-olds and 27 mg for a pregnant 14- to 18-year-old; 18 mg for a non-pregnant 19- to 50-year-old and 27 mg for a pregnant 19- to 50-year-old.  A breast-feeding woman needs 9 mg daily.  Women over the age of 51 need 8 mg daily.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that a non-pregnant woman with anemia take 50 mg to 60 mg of oral elemental iron twice daily for three months for the therapeutic treatment of iron deficiency.  Discuss this with your physician and figure out what the optimal amount is for you based on your age and other needs, including whether you are still menstruating and have a heavy flow, are pregnant, if you are a young woman or if you are in menopause. Remember always consult your physician before starting any new dietary supplements!