The iron gap: why women are more affected
The World Health Organization estimates that iron deficiency affects approximately 30% of non-pregnant women of reproductive age globally — making it the most prevalent nutritional deficiency in the world. Yet despite its prevalence, the biological reasons why women are disproportionately affected are rarely explained clearly.
Understanding these reasons is important not just for awareness but for choosing an effective solution. Because the causes are biological rather than simply lifestyle-related, addressing them requires consistent, effective supplementation — not just dietary changes.
Four biological reasons women are more vulnerable
1. Menstrual blood loss
The average menstrual cycle results in a loss of approximately 30-40ml of blood — containing around 15-20mg of iron. Women with heavier periods can lose significantly more. The body cannot always compensate for this monthly loss through dietary intake alone, particularly when iron absorption is already limited.
2. Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Iron requirements increase by approximately 50% during pregnancy, particularly in the third trimester when foetal iron stores are being built. The WHO recommends 27mg of iron daily during pregnancy. Breastfeeding also increases iron demand. Inadequate iron during pregnancy is associated with maternal fatigue and is monitored routinely by midwives and obstetricians.
3. Lower average dietary iron intake
Women on average consume less total food than men, which translates to lower absolute iron intake. Women who follow vegetarian or vegan diets face an additional challenge: plant-based (non-haem) iron has significantly lower bioavailability than animal-based (haem) iron. The EU reference intake for iron is 14mg/day for women of reproductive age, versus 11mg/day for men.
Iron contributes to normal formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin, to normal oxygen transport in the body, and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
4. Perimenopause: irregular and heavier cycles
In the years leading up to menopause, many women experience irregular cycles that are sometimes heavier than before. This can increase iron loss at a time when other age-related changes are also occurring. Ferritin testing during perimenopause is clinically relevant and frequently overlooked.
Who is at highest risk
- Women aged 15-50 with regular menstrual cycles
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women
- Vegetarian and vegan women — non-haem iron absorbs at 1-7% vs 15-35% for haem iron
- Endurance athletes — foot-strike haemolysis and iron loss through sweat
- Women with gut health issues — coeliac disease, Crohn's, and low stomach acid all impair absorption
- Perimenopausal women — with heavier or irregular cycles
The absorption challenge
Not all iron is equal — and this is where dietary advice alone falls short. The two forms of dietary iron have dramatically different bioavailability:
- Haem iron (from meat, fish, poultry) 15-35% absorption, not significantly affected by other dietary factors
- Non-haem iron (from plants, eggs, dairy, supplements): 1-7% absorption, significantly reduced by tea, coffee, calcium, and phytates
This means a vegetarian woman absorbing 5% of the iron in her meals needs to eat substantially more iron-rich plant foods to maintain adequate stores compared to a meat-eater. In practice, many do not.
Why standard iron supplements fail so many women
The most commonly prescribed iron supplement — ferrous sulphate — causes constipation, nausea, dark stools, and abdominal cramping in up to 70% of users. These side effects are not coincidental: they result from ionic iron reacting directly with the gut lining, generating free radicals and causing local irritation.
The standard advice to 'start with a lower dose and build up' reduces side effects but also reduces therapeutic efficacy. For women who need to restore significantly depleted iron stores, this catch-22 — effective dose causes side effects, tolerable dose may be insufficient — is a real clinical problem.
The liposomal solution
Liposomal iron encapsulates elemental iron within a phospholipid sphere before it enters the digestive tract. The iron is released only inside intestinal epithelial cells — completely bypassing the gut lumen where ionic iron causes irritation. Clinical research has confirmed that liposomal iron achieves equivalent ferritin increases to standard iron at lower doses, with significantly fewer gastrointestinal side effects.
PPH Liposomal Iron contains 17mg of elemental iron per capsule (121% of EU RI), delivered as iron fumarate with ascorbic acid to enhance absorption. No constipation. No nausea. No dark stools in normal use.
Conclusion and next step
Iron deficiency in women is a biological reality driven by menstruation, pregnancy demands, and absorption differences — not a lifestyle problem that can be solved by eating more spinach. Effective supplementation with a form the body can actually absorb without digestive side effects is the most reliable solution.
Discover PPH Liposomal Iron here — iron your body can actually use.
Your vitality is not optional — it is vital.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- WHO (2021). Anaemia. Global Health Observatory. www.who.int/
- EFSA (2015). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for iron. EFSA Journal. efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.
- Tolkien Z. et al. (2015). Ferrous Sulfate Supplementation Causes Significant GI Side-Effects in Adults. PLOS ONE. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25700159/
- Piskin E. et al. (2022). Iron absorption: Factors, limitations, and improvement methods. ACS Omega. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35647927/
