What Happens to Your Period Symptoms When You Start Taking Iron?

Starting iron supplements can alleviate fatigue, dizziness, and mood swings often associated with your period, thanks to its role in replenishing lost iron and boosting hemoglobin production. However, it’s important to discuss with your healthcare provider whether an iron supplement is needed for you, as taking too much can cause unwanted side effects.

1. You May Feel Less Tired and Worn Out

Iron is an essential mineral involved in making hemoglobin, the main protein in your red blood cells. Hemoglobin carries oxygen through your body, so you are more likely to feel tired if you do not have enough of it due to inadequate iron stores.

If you’re already low on iron and continue losing it during your period, an iron supplement can help. It restores energy by improving oxygen and nutrient delivery to your brain and muscles.

2. You Could Experience Fewer Dizzy Spells

Low iron levels decrease oxygen delivery throughout the body, causing dizziness or light-headedness. This can feel worse with heavy flow, where you might have to change a pad or tampon every two hours or less.

Using an iron supplement to restore normal iron levels may help address period-related dizzy spells.

3. You Might Notice a Better Mood and Mental Focus

Iron helps produce brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, which regulate mood, focus, and emotions. You might notice brain fog or a low mood if your iron levels drop during your menstrual cycle.

You may notice that a supplement to normalize low iron levels helps clear up mental fog and makes you feel more like yourself.

4. Your Nails and Skin May Benefit

If your period affects your nails or skin, an iron supplement might help. Signs of low iron include pale skin, brittle nails, and dark under-eye circles.

Since iron is involved in transporting oxygen to all cells, including those related to skin and nails, it might be helpful to take iron to ensure normal levels.

Is Iron Supplementation Right for You?

Possible Digestive Side Effects

Taking iron on an empty stomach can cause nausea. Iron supplements may also lead to constipation, dark stools, or increased gas.

Sometimes, changing the form of iron you take, reducing your dose, or taking it with food can help ease side effects.

Risk of Over-Supplementation

Even with the symptoms mentioned, do not add an iron supplement without checking your blood’s iron markers first.

Taking iron when you do not need it, or taking too high a dose, can lead to iron toxicity or poisoning, which can cause joint pain, fatigue, liver damage, or even death in severe cases.

Timing of Supplements May Be Important

The timing of your iron supplement can optimize how your body uses it and affects how you feel during your period. Taking iron with food lowers nausea risk and improves nutrient absorption.

To reduce competition with calcium and magnesium, take your iron supplement separately from foods high in these nutrients. For example, avoid taking it with a glass of milk.

However, taking your iron supplement with a source of vitamin C, like orange juice or a meal containing foods rich in vitamin C, like broccoli, tomatoes, or strawberries, can help boost its absorption.

Testing for Iron Deficiency

A healthcare provider may order one or more of the following tests to determine if you have an iron deficiency:

• Iron level test: This test measures the amount of iron circulating in your bloodstream. This number can fluctuate depending on such factors as the time of day the test is taken and what food you have eaten.
• Ferritin level test: Ferritin levels indicate how much iron is stored in your body. Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in your tissues for later use and is the most reliable test for determining your iron status.
• Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) test: A TIBC test indicates how well your blood can carry iron throughout the body.
• Transferrin saturation test: This test measures how much iron is bound to transferrin, the protein that carries iron through the blood.

Based on your blood test results, your provider may recommend an iron supplement. Follow your provider’s guidelines on dosage and form.

How Much Iron Should You Take?

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for iron is 18 milligrams (mg), which accounts for iron from both food and supplemental sources. If you are diagnosed with iron deficiency, your healthcare provider might recommend a temporarily higher dose and rechecking your levels at a future point.