Anemia in perimenopause?

[gerbo]

Has anyone else experienced slight anemia, and is it connected to perimenopause?

I'm 46 and healthy, on the pill so I have no periods at all, taking HRT at low levels for peri.

I had bloods taken for my standard health check and I'm slightly anemic. They want me to have more bloods done "and vitamin levels" in a month. I wonder what the vitamin levels mean?

I was just wondering if anyone had experienced this and managed to rectify it? Iron tablets/more greens and red meat? Any advice gratefully received.

I've only become anaemic in menopause - and yes, I've raised my levels by taking iron tables/red meat/spinach etc but I don't understand why it only happened after my periods stopped. I've had a gastroscopy and endoscopy and nothing was amiss there.

It's absorption issue . I am anemic too . More vitamins tests will give the gp a better idea of what you need but I was recently told that I need to up my iron dose to three tablets a day . May be ask the gp specifically. I eat red meat and other veggies too but then I have high cholesterol so I think I shouldn't eat them more. It's just that I don't want to fix a problem and create a bigger one .

Thanks for replying. The odd thing is, I eat really well on the whole, exercise etc. Apart from chocolate and the odd glass of wine, I'm healthy.

I don't even have periods as a reason...

I reckon they'll say iron tablets....

Thanks, both.

Unfortunately both the perimenopause and the menopause affect our iron levels causing annamia and both for different reason. We can’t win 😆

I read that one of the functions of testosterone is stimulating the production of red blood cells.

I've felt so much better since having testosterone added in to my HRT. I have been anaemic for a couple of years since chemo & a stem cell transplant (which has damaged my bone marrow & ability to produce blood cells).

They'll hopefully check your B vitamins, sometimes the problem is with those rather than iron per se. Green veg is pointless, the iron in it is very low bioavailability. Non heme iron generally is difficult to absorb, mostly because all kinds of other foods/drinks/medications interfere with it, also because it tends to upset people's digestive system.

Menopause appears to change the gut microbiome for the worse, which would almost certainly cause a deterioration in your ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. But if you're on the pill and HRT that's less likely as an explanation.

Thanks for your replies. I have some reading to do now....I'll go in a month to have the bloods done, then speak to my GP.

I'll read up about vitamin absorption and perimenopause.