Understanding the connection between your gut microbiome, iron deficiency, and heavy menstrual bleeding can significantly improve your overall health, especially if you’ve been struggling with low iron levels and heavy periods.

Iron is a crucial mineral in the body, playing a key role in oxygen transport, energy production, hormone production and DNA synthesis. When iron levels are low, you may feel tired, struggle with physical activity, and even experience fertility issues.

Let’s start by exploring why your iron levels may be low.

• Iron absorption is the first critical factor. If your body isn’t absorbing enough iron from your food, no matter how iron-rich your diet is, you’ll remain deficient. Your body typically regulates iron absorption based on its needs, absorbing more when iron levels are low and less when they’re high. However, this process can be disrupted, particularly if your gut health isn’t optimal. Consuming vitamin C-rich foods alongside iron can enhance absorption, while avoiding high-calcium foods at the same time can prevent competition for absorption.
• Next is the utilisation of iron. Even if your body absorbs iron, it needs to be in a usable form. Animal-based iron sources are more readily utilised by the body, while plant-based sources require conversion before they can be used, making it more challenging to obtain sufficient iron from a plant-based diet.
• Storage is another factor. Your body stores excess iron in the liver, tapping into these reserves when levels drop. However, iron deficiency is more common, particularly in women with heavy menstrual bleeding. Heavy bleeding not only leads to iron loss but also perpetuates a vicious cycle where iron deficiency further increases bleeding.

Heavy menstrual bleeding, or menorrhagia, is typically defined as losing more than 80 millilitres of blood per day or bleeding for longer than seven to eight days. It’s a common cause of iron deficiency anaemia, and the two conditions feed into each other—iron deficiency worsens heavy bleeding, which in turn worsens iron deficiency. This cycle leads to fatigue, reduced physical capacity, and increased inflammation, especially in people with endometriosis, as bleeding causes tissue damage and inflammation in the pelvic and abdominal areas.

Now, let’s talk about the gut microbiome. Your gut hosts trillions of bacteria, crucial for your survival and health. These bacteria also play a significant role in iron absorption. Low iron levels can reduce the population and diversity of beneficial gut bacteria, particularly Lactobacillus strains, which are often deficient in people with endometriosis. These bacteria help regulate iron absorption, so when their numbers are low, your body might struggle to absorb enough iron, worsening the deficiency.

There’s a complex interplay between iron levels, menstrual cycles, and gut health.

Low iron disrupts the gut microbiome, leading to further absorption issues. Heavy menstrual bleeding worsens this by continually depleting iron, which negatively impacts gut health. To break this cycle, it’s essential to focus on a diet that supports both iron levels and gut health.

Incorporate foods that feed beneficial gut bacteria and are rich in easily absorbed iron. Also, consider food combinations that enhance iron absorption, like pairing iron-rich foods with those high in vitamin C, and avoid combining them with high-calcium foods.

For a deeper dive into improving iron absorption and gut health, you might like to also read Iron deficiency and how to get the most iron out of your diet and Why you need to improve your gut microbiome. Understanding and addressing the connection between iron deficiency, heavy menstrual bleeding, and the gut microbiome can make a significant difference in managing these issues and improving your overall health.

If you’d like to have a personal chat about options to use your diet to manage your Endometriosis symptoms, book your complimentary Endometriosis SOS Call. https://theendometriosisnutritionist.online/endometriosis-sos-call/