Understanding Anemia During Menopause: Symptoms, Risks & Management

If you have anemia, this means that you have iron-poor blood. Your symptoms may include pale skin, an irregular or fast heartbeat, fatigue, chest pain, shortness of breath, headaches, cold hands and feet, dizziness and cognitive problems, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Risks

• If your diet is not rich in iron, you may be at risk for becoming anemic. If you are anemic this means that you don't have adequate numbers of healthy red blood cells that are required to transport oxygen to your tissues. During menopause, the last thing you want is to be more tired than you already are. Anemia will result in extreme fatigue.

Hormones

• Your hormones are going to fluctuate during peri-menopause and menopause, getting too high and then too low, and this impacts your entire body and your brain. If you find that you are having mood swings and are depressed during menopause, improve your diet. In addition to making you feel better, this will also help prevent anemia from occurring.

Recommendations

• MenopauseSymptomsAndSolutions.com recommends eating "brain food," including those foods that contain pyridoxene, commonly known as vitamin B. If you have an inadequate level of vitamin B, this can cause anemia. Eat green leafy vegetables, green beans, legumes, whole grains, seeds, potatoes and corn. These foods help prevent anemia as well as prompt the production of serotonin, which is a chemical that makes us feel better.

Drugs

• If you are suffering from menopausal aches and pains and are taking too many aspirin or ibuprofen, this can cause internal bleeding by irritating the digestive tract, according to Bellaonline.com. This can also result in anemia.

Underlying Conditions

• Anemia is sometimes a sign of an underlying inflammatory condition, such as arthritis, which many women suffer from when in menopause.