Can You Get Anemia from Your Period?

What is Iron-Deficiency Anemia?

According to the Mayo Clinic, iron-deficiency anemia is a condition caused by having an insufficient amount of iron in your body. This deficiency causes your body to not be able to produce enough hemoglobin-a protein that enables red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. Hemoglobin is important because all of our organs need oxygen to function! Without hemoglobin carrying oxygen around the body, our organs would never get the oxygen that they need. 

According to Healthline, if you suffer from menorrhagia (heavy periods), you may also suffer from anemia. If you lose more blood than your body can produce on your period, your body will have a deficient amount of iron from which it can utilize. Therefore, your body won’t be able to produce enough hemoglobin, resulting in a deficiency of oxygenated blood. Basically, period-induced anemia can cause iron-deficiency anemia (there are many factors that may cause period-induced anemia; like diet). 

How Can You Increase the Amount of Iron Your Body Has? 

According to Healthline, there are many ways, including:

1. Eat more iron! Though you can take iron supplements, there are many

foods that have a high amount of iron. This includes red meats, turkey,

spinach, and legumes.

2. Eat foods that are high in Vitamin C! This is because Vitamin C helps

your body absorb iron. Your body being able to absorb iron is very

important because if it can’t absorb the iron, it can’t make hemoglobin

from it. Some foods that are high in Vitamin C include: broccoli,

oranges, and kale.

3. If you drink coffee or tea, try to avoid it at meal times. This is because

they make it harder for your body to absorb the iron that it gets from

the food you eat.

Sources.

“Anemia Period: Can Menstruation Cause Anemia?” Healthline, 11 Nov. 2020,

www.healthline.com/health/anemia-period#prevention.

Mayo Clinic. “Iron Deficiency Anemia - Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic,

Mayo Clinic, 18 Oct. 2019,

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iron-deficiency-anemia/symptomscauses/

syc-20355034.

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Anemia, Beyond the check

 

Anemia is a condition in which you lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your body's tissues. Having anemia, also referred to as low hemoglobin, can make you feel tiredglobin, and weak. There are many forms of anemia, each with its own cause. Recently published National Family Health Survey(NFHS 5) data shows people of all most all age group, especially women are vulnerable to anaemia in the country. The data reports that 67% of children below 59 months of age  suffer from anaemia which is 9% more than what observed in previous survey. Adolescent girls belonging to the age group 15 years to 19 years is found to have 59% prevalence and that about 57% of reproductive women population  (15 years to 49 years) also found to have low hemoglobin count than required which is 4% higher than previously reported

Some of the important contributors of this current situation includes malnutrition, lack of proper sanitation, locally endemic infectious diseases etc.  Thus it is clearly understood that the problems regarding anemia cannot be covered by nearby medical supplementation

 The central government is constantly keeping an eye on the issue of anemia since independence. The recent program "Anaemiamukt Bharat" is working on 6×6×6 strategy. It implies to give special attention for six vulnerable beneficiaries through six different interventions via six institutional mechanism.

Keeping the policy apart, individuals can initiate some lifestyle modifications such as including micronutrient food in diet, maintaining proper sanitation for preventing intestine infections which  create loss of essential nutrients etc. Without concious effort from individuals, state won't be able to create an impact on anaemia burden of the country.

-Mohammed Bin Basheer 

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Anemia in India

Anemia has been plaguing the Indian population at incredibly high rates for decades, and while the government has been trying to implement programs to lower the rate of this deficiency among Indian people, there have been ongoing calls for a more effective effort to be made. According to the World Health Organization, 63.7% of Indian women and 22.3% of Indian men were anemic in 1958. In 2016 these numbers had dropped to 53.1% for women and had risen to 22.7% for men. So while it could be argued that the public health effort has been helpful at least for women, it is also very plausible that there are outside factors affecting these numbers, especially because we see a slight increase in men suffering from anemia. In fact, while government programs do provide iron supplement pills for children and pregnant women (low iron is one of the main causes of anemia) very few people are actually receiving these supplements, and of the people who do receive them, even fewer are taking them regularly due to lack of understanding about what they are.¹ 

So, the question remains now... how can you tell if you are anemic? And if you are, how can you treat it? How much cause for concern is there really? First of all, let’s talk about what anemia actually is. There are different levels of anemia deficiency, so someone could have mild anemia and never even realize it. In more severe cases, anemia can seriously interfere with one’s day-to-day activities and even be life threatening. When someone is anemic, it means that they carry smaller amounts of something called haemoglobin in their blood. Haemoglobin helps carry oxygen through your veins to reach your organs and the rest of your body.²

Some common symptoms of anemia are fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and numbness in extremities. If you are concerned that you may have anemia, reach out to your doctor. They can ask you to get a blood test which will reveal your red blood count cell and tell you your haemoglobin levels- this will be under the blood test section called CBC (Complete Blood Count). Since one of the main causes of anemia is low iron levels, a good way to avoid this deficiency is through a healthy diet including lots of leafy dark green vegetables like spinach, soybeans and peanuts, and if you’re non-veg red lean meats and organ meats. Citrus fruits and other foods with lots of Vitamin C are also great for keeping anemia at bay. If you are already eating lots of these foods on a regular basis and are concerned you may be anemic, reach out to your doctor. While iron deficiency is the most common cause, anemia can also be genetic or may be caused by parasites. ³

Remember, in most cases, anemia is mild. If are anemic and your symptoms are mild, likely all you will need to do is adjust your diet or add a supplement. Whether or not you have anemia, it is important to be aware of the symptoms so that if you or a loved one begin to experience them you will know what to do for relief. If you have a teenage daughter or know a woman who is pregnant, be sure that you speak to them about anemia. These groups are at high risk: menstruating girls because of the blood loss and pregnant women because they need to support a whole extra little person with nutrient-rich blood.

HEEALS is trying to raise awareness about anemia because it is such a big issue in India. If you would like to volunteer with HEEALS or learn more about what we do, reach out to us at : communications@heeals.org and don’t forget to check out our social media!


-Rachel 
wash & intern coordinator 

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^{Picture : HEEALS} 

¹ http://www.indiaspend.com/cover-story/making-india-anaemia-free-can-india-achieve-what-it-has-failed-to-for-70-years-39256

² https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-anemia.aspx

³ https://food.ndtv.com/health/anemia-in-indian-women-causes-symptoms-and-steps-for-prevention-1410155