Why is iron important for women?

Iron is one of the most important elements that everyone – especially children, teenage girls and women of childbearing age needs. Women under age 50 are recommended 18 mg daily iron intake, for women over 50 – 8 mg. To improve bone mineral density in healthy women during menopausal period, iron intake of 20 mg should be combined with 800-1200 mg calcium per day.

Why is iron important for women? Each month during menstruation women lose on average 15 to 20 milligrams of iron, that’s why they need more of this mineral to recover its loss. If you suffer from headaches and fatigue you should increase iron intake as these are symptoms of iron deficiency anemia. After menopause, body iron generally increases. Women older than 50 years of age must be carefully examined by a physician, because iron deficiency may indicate blood loss from another source. Liver, kidneys, red meat, poultry, eggs, peas, legumes, dried fruits and dark, green leafy vegetables are great sources of iron. For example, a cup of cooked spinach contains 6.4 mg; three ounces of cooked chicken liver contains 7.2 mg of iron. During pregnancy you’ll be probably recommended iron supplements by your doctor. In that case iron supplements intake should start at 30 mg per day. Otherwise, there are some warnings concerning the use of iron supplements. Firstly, don’t take iron supplements or vitamins with iron unless your health care professional recommends it. During postmenopausal iron intake must be carefully controlled as too much iron could lead to heart disease.