Iron

We evaluated the literature to determine the impact of iron supplementation on preventing iron deficiency anemia and conclude that intermittent dosing of iron supplements effectively prevents anemia in menstruating women while minimizing risk.

Iron is required for supplying oxygen to the body, and 19% of women aged 19-50 don't get enough iron.¹ This can be caused by heavy menstrual bleeding (where iron is lost through blood loss) or pregnancy (when blood need increases).

When the body is fully deficient of iron, the cells in your blood responsible for oxygen transport start to deplete, which leads to iron deficiency anemia, which is a risk factor for many diseases.

A systematic review of the literature by Ana Gaxiola found 25 studies evaluating the impact of iron supplementation regimens on preventing anemia. Combining data across the studies, women who supplemented 1-3 times a week had 0.65 times the risk of anemia compared to women who did not supplement. This result was statistically significant across 10,996 women. Furthermore, there was no statistical difference between supplementing intermittently (1-3 times a week) compared with daily, and supplementing intermittently had 0.41 times the risk of getting side effects.^2,3

To avoid iron deficiencies, women who have heavy menstrual bleeding or are pregnant should supplement their diet with iron 1-3 times a week.