Symptoms of a lack of iron in the body in women

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Iron is an important trace element involved in hematopoiesis, the body's immune defense. It is a constituent of hormones and enzymes. The lack of iron in the body in women gives its symptoms.

Daily rate for women

A woman should receive 18 μg of iron per day with food. During pregnancy, the iron intake rate doubles, up to 33 mcg. The reason for the lack of iron in a woman's body is a constant change in hormonal levels, which lead to dilution of the blood, a decrease in the hemoglobin content.

Iron is a significant constituent of blood - up to 68%, it is contained in the tissues of the liver, muscles, brain, spleen. The amount of hemoglobin in the tissues of different organs is 3.5 grams. Iron is stored in its depot - proteins ferritin, myoglobin, transferrin, respectively, 27%, 4% and 0.1% of the total iron store in a woman's body.

The lack of iron in the body in women is manifested by pronounced symptoms - the skin turns pale, chronic fatigue appears, the nail plates are deformed.

Signs of iron deficiency

Iron is important for all people, but women are susceptible to iron loss due to regular periods, especially if they are abundant and disappear with short cycles. Symptoms of women are manifested in several stages, with constant iron deficiency, the stages indicate a sharp deterioration in the general condition. Iron deficiency anemia develops.

In practice, there are 3 stages of iron deficiency with the corresponding signs:

1. Prelate stage. Here, the lack of iron in the body in women is expressed by symptoms - persistent malaise, weakness. At low loads, tachycardia appears. Persistent irritability develops, a tendency to depression, dizziness, excruciating pains all over the head appear. It becomes difficult to swallow food, the tongue ulcerates with furrows with areas of redness. Taste preferences change - I like the smell of gasoline, I want to eat chalk. Hair begins to split and fall out, brittle and crumbling nails appear.
2. Latent stage. With the progression of iron deficiency, the skin turns pale and dries, a bluish tint appears on it. Constantly tormented by seizures in the corners of the mouth, pain throughout the abdomen. Blood pressure decreases, body temperature drops.
3. The stage of severe deficiency. It is accompanied by a decrease in immunity, frequent colds, infectious diseases, and indigestion. The lack of iron in the body of women at this stage manifests itself with more pronounced symptoms. The hormonal background changes, which increases the possibility of developing tumors on the internal organs. The deformation of the nails is special - they take a concave spoon-like shape, their growth slows down. Drowsiness, shortness of breath, pain in the heart appear. With further progress, the disease becomes life-threatening.

Deficiency reasons

The main reason for the lack of iron in the body of women is called regular menstruation and the onset of pregnancy.

But there are other factors of a lack of iron in the body - this is an increased consumption of iron and an insufficient intake of it with food. The consumption of iron increases due to the large loss of blood associated with dysfunctional bleeding due to diseases of the genital organs - endometriosis, uterine fibroids, adenomyosis. Uterine bleeding occurs against the background of vascular damage during diagnostic curettage, abortion. Uterine bleeding after childbirth is common. With them, the volume of blood in the body is significantly reduced, which leads to IDA.

Internal bleeding occurs in diseases of the stomach, intestines, during abdominal operations. Blood is lost after severe injuries, with frequent donation of blood. In girls, an important factor in iron deficiency is puberty.

Iron deficiency is caused by insufficient dietary intake. The body does not produce iron, only with the correct selection of food can the iron deficiency be replenished. In addition, thyroid disease leads to an element deficiency.

Pregnancy period

For women, an important reason for the high consumption of iron is pregnancy, when a lot of iron is required for the proper maturation and development of the baby, the period of breastfeeding.

For pregnant women, a deficiency of the element is dangerous for placental insufficiency, when this condition leads to dystrophy of the myometrium and placenta. This reduces the synthesis of hormones, placental lactogen, which negatively affects the development of the fetus.

Do I need to see a doctor

The control of the hemoglobin content should be supervised by a local therapist. This is important because only a doctor will determine the stage of development of anemia and prescribe the necessary treatment. So, if you experience symptoms of incomprehensible weakness, fatigue, you should contact a doctor without delay.

Diet

When the results of the examination show that the cause of the lack of hemoglobin is malnutrition, then, together with the prescribed medication, the woman needs to reconsider the set of products. Meat products are rich in iron - liver, veal, rabbit.

There is a lot of this element in greens - thyme, parsley, lettuce. Iron contains snails, oysters, mackerel, pink salmon, whole oatmeal, buckwheat, beans. You should include in your menu fruits and vegetables with iron content, this is primarily all varieties of apples, pears, apricots and peaches. Walnuts should be added to green salads. Exclude eggs, coffee, black tea from the menu.

Prophylaxis

At any stage of the disease, symptoms seriously affect the course of life. It is important, after undergoing a course of treatment with medicines containing Fe, to switch to the prevention of exacerbations and relapses. Prevention consists in adhering to a diet, maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

For the prevention of IDA, it is important to quit smoking, monitor weight, and introduce a walk into the daily routine. One of the preventive measures is to drink decoctions of nettle, mountain ash, rose hips.

The consequences of iron deficiency

With IDA, a person is prone to frequent colds. This is due to atrophic changes in the mucous membrane, which loses its protective functions. Because of this, the infection easily enters the body. Immune forces decrease, blood pressure falls, muscle disorders occur, which leads to myocardial dystrophy. Tachycardia and shortness of breath appear.

Fe deficiency causes:

• lack of liver function;
• sleep disorders;
• constant freezing;
• dizziness of various forms;
• headaches similar to migraines;
• muscle weakness;
• emotional instability.

This is a short list of the main consequences of IDA in women.

The lack of iron in the body in women can be determined by the symptoms indicated above - the main thing is to detect it in a timely manner.