Iron, and what actually leaves during your period

Every period costs the body iron. For most people it's a modest loss, easily replaced. For some — heavier bleeds, plant-based diets, intense training — it stacks up over months and quietly becomes fatigue, brain fog, or breathlessness on the stairs.

Heme iron (from meat and fish) absorbs most easily. Plant sources — lentils, tofu, spinach, pumpkin seeds — absorb better when paired with vitamin C and away from coffee and tea.

If you're supplementing, gentle forms like bisglycinate are easier on the gut than sulphate. And always check ferritin, not just hemoglobin — it's the truer picture.