Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia. The most common causes in women are heavy menstrual bleeding or pregnancy. Iron deficiency affects up to\u00a040% of pregnant women around the world.<\/a><\/p>\n Men and women develop Iron deficiency through a poor diet, kidney, or gastrointestinal intestinal diseases affecting iron production and absorption.<\/p>\n Medical providers will search for the underlying cause while treating this common disorder with dietary changes and iron supplementation.<\/p>\n Iron-deficiency anemia occurs when the body lacks iron. Our bodies require certain mineral levels to carry oxygen through our red blood cells to all parts of the body.\u00a0Red blood cells<\/a>\u00a0are produced in the bone marrow and kidneys.<\/p>\n If our bodies do not make enough healthy red blood cells or the blood cells function correctly, then we develop anemia. Iron-deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia.<\/p>\n Iron is required to produce hemoglobin, the oxygen-binding molecule inside of red blood cells.<\/p>\n Although anyone can develop Iron-deficiency anemia, it much more common in women. The risk of iron-deficiency anemia is highest for women.<\/p>\n Pregnancy<\/strong>\u00a0is a major risk factor. Iron-deficiency anemia affects up to 40% of pregnant women. Pregnancy increases the risk of iron deficiency for three reasons.<\/p>\n Heavy menstrual periods<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>are another cause of anemia.<\/strong>\u00a0Menstrual cycles may be a natural process, but the body is still losing blood. Up to 5% of women of childbearing age develop iron-deficiency anemia because of heavy bleeding during their periods.<\/p>\n Infants, small children, and teens are also at high risk for iron-deficiency anemia due to dietary habits.<\/p>\n Iron-deficiency anemia often develops slowly and gradually. In the beginning, one may have mild symptoms or none at all. As anemia becomes worse, patients may notice one or more of these symptoms:<\/p>\n Anyone with symptomatic anemia should talk to a doctor or practitioner.<\/p>\n Used with permission from Medika Life<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Chronic blood loss causes the loss of red blood cells faster than the body can reproduce them. Most chronic bleeding occurs in the gastrointestinal, renal, and reproductive systems.<\/p>\n A physician will combine a medical history, exam, and blood testing to diagnose and evaluate anemia.<\/p>\n The first step is iron deficiency treatment is to identify the underlying cause. We can supplement iron levels, but if we do not stop the iron loss, the problem will continue.<\/p>\n Think of a bathtub. We can continue to fill it up, but the water will rise faster if we plug the drain first.<\/p>\n Iron deficiency is a common condition. Identifying the underlying cause is the first step to getting affecting patients feeling much better.<\/p>\n Thank you to <\/span><\/i>BeingWell<\/span><\/i><\/a> for publishing this article on Medium<\/a>. \u00a0Article originally published on Medika Life<\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Blog Author: Dr. <\/span>Jeff Livingston\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Main Blog Photo By: Medika.Life<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nWhat is iron-deficiency anemia?<\/h4>\n
Who gets iron-deficiency anemia?<\/h4>\n
\n
What are the symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia?<\/h4>\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Iron-deficiency.jpg\")
<\/div>\nWhat causes iron-deficiency anemia?<\/h4>\n
\n
How is iron-deficiency anemia diagnosed?<\/h4>\n
\n
How is iron-deficiency anemia treated?<\/h4>\n
\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/expioconsulting.com\/macarthur\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Medium.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"