Iron woman! Women, exercise, and iron

[Dianyla]

Just thought I'd give this thread a little bump! and also say Thank you! I swear, this thread changed my life!

I first happened to read this thread a week before a scheduled annual physical, and it just nagged at me. I'd never actually thought much about low iron, and figured it wasn't something I needed to worry about. I cook on cast iron, eat lots of iron-rich meats and foods, and it never occurred to me before. But, the mentions of flagging performance and exhaustion really sounded familiar. After (barely) finishing the Seattle to Portland last July, I couldn't ride for weeks. In fact, that was the culmination of 4 months of training on the weekend and needing all week Monday-Friday to recover again for the next weekend's training ride. I've always wondered about those people who say they get all this lovely energy after they exercise, I just want to sleep all day to recover. Also, I've felt like this for years and so it didn't feel like a really new development.

So at my physical I asked my doctor to check my iron levels just for the hell of it. She called me a few weeks later telling me that the results were close to unmeasurable. Basically, I had no iron stores at all, not in my blood and even my marrow stores were depleted. Once I started doing research, a whole lot of things started making sense. The constant dizziness, intolerance to cold (needing fleece in summertime), undereye circles, easily getting out-of-breath just walking up a flight of stairs (even after having logged 80 miles on the bike a few days earlier!) and of course the insatiable need for sleep and recovery time especially after anything strenuous.

I've been taking iron supplements for the last 3 months and feeling loads better. I started out taking iron salts such as ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, etc and found that those really upset my stomach and constipated me. After switching around a bit I found carbonyl iron supplements. I can take them on even my very fussy empty stomach with no upset and no more consti-poo-poo.

A few days ago I got on the bike again for the first time in months. Even though I can tell out of shape, I felt stronger than I've felt in a long time. In retrospect, I feel like a big idiot because I think I've had this problem for at least 6-7+ years. I thought this is just the way I was naturally.

Thank you again TE!!!

[Eden]

Food for thought. I certainly don't have all of those symptoms, but it does seem like I am always cold - wore my fleece and ran a space heater all last summer at work. And I get soooo tired around that time o' the month that I usually take a couple of extra rest days.
Though we eat a lot of spinach and other iron rich veggies, the hubby and I do eat a low meat, and especially low red meat diet so its not so unrealistic to think that it could be a problem. I think I may just look into it.
Thanks for bumping this thread!

[rocknrollgirl]

Thanks for all of the info. I suspect that I too have low iron. I have a very hard time recovering from my workouts, and I am tired and have a headache all day long.I do not eat meat, tons of veggies, but it may not be enough with the workout schedule that I have. I thought is was allergies, but this makes more sense. I have really avoided taking iron because of the stomach problems associated with the supplements, but now I am going to check for some of the more gentle types that I can take.

Thanks

Ruth