Iron Deficiency Body Map

Select anything on the figure that sounds familiar to see why it happens and what to ask your general practitioner (GP) for.

What it feels like

Why it happens

What to ask for

Every symptom

More hair in the brush, in the shower drain, on the pillow. Thinning all over rather than in patches.

Losing words mid-sentence, or reading the same paragraph three times.

Cold hands and feet, reaching for a jumper when the room is fine for everyone else.

Out of breath from things that never used to do it. One flight of stairs, carrying the shopping, a hill you have walked for years.

A heart that thumps or races when you have not done much, sometimes most obvious lying in bed at night.

A tiredness that rest does not fix. You wake up feeling like you never slept, and by mid-afternoon you are running on empty.

Chewing ice, craving something odd that is not food, or ongoing gut symptoms alongside the tiredness.

Flooding, clots, changing protection every hour or two, or a period that runs past a week.

Nails that split or ridge, and after a long time curve upwards into a shallow spoon.

Looking washed out, shadows under the eyes, and people asking whether you are unwell.

Sessions that used to be easy feel hard. Heavy legs, slow recovery, and the gains have stopped coming.

An urge to move your legs the moment you settle. Moving helps for a second, then it comes back, and sleep goes.

Feeling flat, tearful or short-tempered without a clear reason.

Feeling on edge or unsettled more than usual.

Struggling to settle or stay asleep, and waking unrefreshed.

Feeling dizzy or light-headed.

More headaches than usual.

Ringing, buzzing or whooshing in your ears.

A tongue that looks smooth and red or feels sore.

Hair and skin that feel drier than they used to.