A quarter of French women are affected by iron deficiency, according to a study.
It's a "banal problem" for Marcel Ichou, a general practitioner, but which we don't necessarily think of.
These anemias can cause chronic fatigue, dizziness, hair loss and prevent blood donation.
“I no longer donate my blood, because I am anemic in iron”.
"I take my iron treatment with vitamin C every morning."
“Have you tried the syrup?
I tolerate it better than the tablets…” It was while talking to the editorial staff of 20 Minutes, over a simple coffee, that we realized that iron deficiencies are much more common than what 'we thought.
An unrecognized female health problem?
"It's a trivial problem", introduces Marcel Ichou, general practitioner.
Who nevertheless believes that doctors, gynecologists and midwives quickly take an interest in it when a patient presents with unusual fatigue.
The 2014-2016 Esteban study (on 2,472 adults and 794 children) pointed out that 20% of women of childbearing age did not have enough iron stores, and 7% had anemia.
"It was the youngest women (18-39 years old) who were the most deficient: almost a quarter of them had a total depletion of iron reserves", recalls this article from Vidal.
Iron, essential for the functioning of the body
But what is iron for?
It is necessary for the formation of hemoglobin contained in red blood cells, which carry oxygen.
In other words, your body needs it badly.
And what is the difference between deficit and anemia?
“When you have a deficit, that means you have a low iron reserve, specifies Marcel Ichou.
As long as there is no bleeding or sports activity, we will be able to compensate to renew the red blood cells every two or three months.
But if there is a significant loss of blood, this creates an acute or even chronic anemia.
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How do you know you're iron deficient?
“The two main symptoms are abnormal fatigue and shortness of breath, summarizes the general practitioner.
But this can result in dizziness, pallor of the skin, very white background of the eyes, hair loss... The symptoms will be proportional to the deficit: it can range from minor disorders to intense fatigue.
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If your doctor suspects anemia, he will order a fasting blood test to check both hemoglobin - the level of red blood cells - and ferritin, the protein that stores iron stores in the body.
“If you're around 10 to 12 g/dl for hemoglobin, that's fine.
Between 8 and 10, it starts to get serious.
Below, we can consider the transfusion, it is much more serious, ”warns the general practitioner.
Why are women more affected than men?
"Iron deficiency affects women more than men because they have a lower iron stock, they have their period and they often have a diet that is less rich in meat", sums up Marcel Ichou.
Some women need to be especially careful with this dosage.
“For those who have had repeated pregnancies and long breastfeeding, vigilance, warns Nicolas Dutriaux, liberal midwife and member of the National College of Midwives of France (CNSF).
In general, it takes eighteen months on average to have time to replenish its reserves after a pregnancy.
Similarly, women who have had bariatric surgery should be checked regularly, because they will have a lack of absorption of this iron.
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“Normal periods are not supposed to anemic patients”
Let's go back to the first cause: the rules.
“Normal periods are not supposed to anemic patients, reassures Nicolas Dutriaux.
On the other hand, you should be wary of it if you have bleeding outside of your period or hemorrhagic periods.
Knowing that we are talking about hemorrhagic periods when a woman changes her sanitary protection at least five times a day.
Especially if it lasts five days… For these women, taking the pill continuously – and therefore skipping the period – can be a solution.
“We often blame the rules but when we take stock with the patients, we often realize that they bleed a lot for two days and that the anemia is not linked to that but to their double day, nuance Nicolas Dutriaux .
In this case, I tell them "tell me about your life, you have the right to be tired".
Blaming the gynecological side is the easy way out.
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Which foods to favor?
The other cause to explore is food.
"The lack of iron is also the problem of junk food", annoys Nicolas Dutriaux.
But the phenomenon could increase in recent years for another reason.
"Many people want to switch to a less meat or vegetarian diet," continues the midwife.
However, you have to learn about how to have the equivalent of the intake of a red meat steak…” And for vegetarian and vegan women, have regular blood tests.
In the event of significant anemia that lasts, a doctor will prescribe iron supplementation, in the form of a tablet or syrup.
Some women can also take food supplements or natural products such as spirulina, an algae rich in iron.
“The drugs can cause digestive disorders, constipation or diarrhea, even an alternation, recognizes Nicolas Dutriaux.
But dietary supplements, not controlled, between the advertised rate and that available, there may be variations.
It is better to take spirulina well than a medicine that you stop after three days because you can't stand it.
There is no ready-made recipe!
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If not having a balanced diet.
“You have to eat better rather than swallowing pills, it costs less,” quips Nicolas Dutriaux.
Precisely, what are the foods to favor?
For non-vegetarians, red meat, offal… Otherwise, legumes, in particular lentils, dried fruits (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts), eggs… “On the other hand, spinach is a received idea.
There is a lot more iron in red meat and lentils,” laughs Marcel Ichou.
"But be careful also to favor vitamin C (present in bell pepper, guava, orange, kiwi, strawberry, broccoli, etc.) and vitamin B12 (milk, eggs, etc.), which allow the integration of iron by your body", adds Nicolas Dutriaux.
He also recalls that tea complicates the absorption of iron.
“We see a lot of deficient women who eat well but are heavy tea drinkers.
Typically, if you take iron supplementation, you might as well avoid taking it with your liter of tea at breakfast.
“You can prefer to take your iron during a snack or snack with a fresh, seasonal and whole fruit, it's better!
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