
It's Time To Start Taking Low Iron Levels Seriously, So We Asked A ‘Blood Doctor’ How To Do It

I can still remember the look on my doctor’s face when he read back my hemoglobin levels after taking routine blood work.
“You should be in the hospital right now,” he said with a look of concern on his face. Unaware of the weakened state that my body was in at the time, I was confused by his reaction. “Your hemoglobin levels are at 7gm/dL,” he told me.
“And what are the normal levels?” I asked him, now with equal concern. “For women, normal levels are between 12.3 gm/dL and 15.3 gm/dL.”
It was at that moment that I realized that there was nothing “normal” about my perpetual fatigue and low energy levels — as they all pointed back to one thing: my anemia.
It wasn’t long after my appointment that I started on iron transfusions, and over the four sessions, it felt like I was given an entirely new body. One with more energy, better sleep patterns, less intense periods, and no more fatigue. The surge in energy made me wonder why I went so long to make my anemia a top health priority. What would've happened had I not gone in for the routine check-up sooner?
@andreadeanmd Take iron deficiency seriously. It can affect your quality of life. #irondeficiency #irondeficiencyanemia #lowhemoglobin #anemiaproblems #anemiasymptoms #blackwomenoftiktok #hispanictiktok #tiktocdocs
What Is Anemia and Its Symptoms
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a medical condition characterized when the body lacks enough iron to produce all of the hemoglobin necessary for healthy red blood cells (RBCs). Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that helps carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
Because we need oxygen to regulate proper blood flow, individuals with anemia can find themselves experiencing irregular heart rates and extreme fatigue, which can lead to serious health complications if left unchecked.
Other symptoms of anemia include:
- Cold extremities
- Weakness
- Pica, or the desire to eat non-nutritional foods like clay or ice
- Dizziness
- Hair loss
- Brittle nails
- Brain fog
- Shortness of breath
- Restless leg syndrome
There are several types of anemia, each with different underlying causes, such as nutritional deficiencies in iron, vitamin B12, or folic acid deficiency, chronic diseases like blood loss from injuries or medical conditions, or genetic factors like sickle cell anemia.
Anemia and Black Women
While having anemia at times gets overlooked as a serious health condition or even reduced down to “always being cold” and eating ice, it’s important for those living with anemia to understand the causes and long-term effects of this condition.
Studies show that “anemia in Black women and Hispanic women occurs 2 to 3 times more often than in Caucasian women.” While it is still unknown why women of color have a higher occurrence of iron-deficiency anemia, key factors that cause anemia, such as your body’s inability to absorb iron and low intake of essential nutrients like vitamin B12 and B9, should be taken with a great amount of care and consideration as you prioritize your health and well-being.
That’s why we’ve tapped Hematologist/Oncologist of Hematology Connect Andrea R. Dean, MD, to provide us with insight on how to manage and treat our anemia because it’s a condition worth taking seriously.
xoNecole: Are there genetic factors that make Black women more susceptible to anemia?
Dr. Dean: Black women are more susceptible to anemia due to iron deficiency, which is most prevalent in this group. Iron deficiency is commonly due to heavy menstrual bleeding from fibroids. Black women have a greater lifetime incidence of fibroids than any other group of women. This likely has a genetic component, but more research is needed.
xoN: Iron pills are commonly recommended to aid in low iron. From your expertise, what are some other supplements or treatments that can help manage anemia?
Dr. Dean: Treatment for anemia depends on the underlying cause. If anemia is due to B12 deficiency or folate deficiency, replacement of these vitamins is needed. If anemia is due to gastrointestinal bleeding, a referral for an EGD and colonoscopy is needed to locate the source of [the bleeding] and stop it. If anemia is due to iron deficiency, you can take iron pills, liquid iron solution, or intravenous iron.
xoN: What dietary changes can someone make to improve their iron intake and absorption?
Dr. Dean: You can eat green leafy vegetables and red meats to increase iron in your diet. If taking iron pills, absorption is better when taken in the morning on an empty stomach every other day.
xoN: At times, anemia and low iron can be overlooked as a health concern, but what are the potential long-term consequences of untreated or chronic anemia in Black women?
Dr. Dean: Untreated anemia can be detrimental to your health. Your hemoglobin carries oxygen to organs throughout your body. If you are anemic or your hemoglobin is low, your organs are not receiving the oxygen they need to properly function. You can pass out from being anemic, and low hemoglobin stresses your heart muscles, and some patients can experience a heart attack. Additionally, the symptoms from anemia can be debilitating and can decrease your quality of life.
xoN: Can low iron be permanently corrected, or does it have to be managed throughout one’s life?
Dr. Dean: The underlying cause of iron deficiency will determine whether it can be corrected. If iron deficiency is due to decreased absorption from H. pylori, once the bacteria infection is treated, iron deficiency should resolve. If iron deficiency is due to heavy menstrual bleeding, it will likely have to be managed until a woman enters menopause unless she seeks treatment to stop or slow down periods. If iron deficiency is due to gastrointestinal bleeding, it might have to be managed throughout one’s life if they have arterial venous malformations.
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Adrian Marcel On Purpose, Sacrifice, And The 'Signs Of Life'
In this week's episode of xoMAN, host Kiara Walker talked with R&B artist Adrian Marcel, who opened up, full of heart and authenticity, about his personal evolution. He discussed his days transitioning from a young Bay Area singer on the come-up to becoming a grounded husband and father of four.
With honesty and introspection, Marcel reflected on how life, love, and loss have shaped the man he is today.
On ‘Life’s Subtle Signals’
Much of the conversation centered around purpose, sacrifice, and listening to life’s subtle signals. “I think that you really have to pay attention to the signs of life,” Marcel said. “Because as much as we need to make money, we are not necessarily on this Earth for that sole purpose, you know what I mean?” While he acknowledged his ambitions, adding, “that is not me saying at all I’m not trying to ball out,” he emphasized that fulfillment goes deeper.
“We are here to be happy. We are here [to] fulfill a purpose that we are put on here for.”
On Passion vs. Survival
Adrian spoke candidly about the tension between passion and survival, describing how hardship can sometimes point us away from misaligned paths. “If you find it’s constantly hurting you… that’s telling you something. That’s telling you that you’re going outside of your purpose.”
Marcel’s path hasn’t been without detours. A promising athlete in his youth, he recalled, “Early on in my career, I was still doing sports… I was good… I had a scholarship.” An injury changed everything. “My femur broke. Hence why I always say, you know, I’m gonna keep you hip like a femur.” After the injury, he pivoted to explore other careers, including teaching and corporate jobs.
“It just did not get me—even with any success that happened in anything—those times, back then, I was so unhappy. And you know, to a different degree. Like not just like, ‘I really want to be a singer so that’s why I’m unhappy.’ Nah, it was like, it was not fulfilling me in any form or fashion.”
On Connection Between Pursuing Music & Fatherhood
He recalled performing old-school songs at age 12 to impress girls, then his father challenged him: “You can lie to these girls all you want, but you're really just lying to yourself. You ain't growing.” That push led him to the piano—and eventually, to his truth. “Music is my love,” Marcel affirmed. “I wouldn’t be a happy husband if I was here trying to do anything else just to appease her [his wife].”
Want more real talk from xoMAN? Catch the full audio episodes every Tuesday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and don’t miss the full video drops every Wednesday on YouTube. Hit follow, subscribe, and stay tapped in.
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You Don’t Have To Choose: How Black Women Can Care For Others Without Self-Sacrifice
One of the primary instructions we receive before a flight takes off is to prioritize putting on your life vest first if there’s an emergency, even before assisting others. It’s funny how this rule rarely translates to the daily routine of women.
As women we are taught, directly and indirectly, to put others first. Whether it’s our romantic partners, kids, parents, friends, or even our jobs. Mental health survivor and founder of Sista Afya Community Care, Camesha Jones-Brandon is challenging that narrative by using her platform to advocate for Black women and their right to self-care.
Camesha created the organization after her struggles with mental health and the lack of community she experienced. The Chicago native explains how she created Sista Afya to be rooted in “culturally grounded care.”
pixelheadphoto digitalskillet/ Shutterstock
“So at my organization, Sista Afya Community Care, we focus on providing mental health care through a cultural and gender lens,” she tells xoNecole. “So when we think about the term intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, we think about the multiple identities that lead to certain experiences and outcomes as it relates to Black women.
“So in the context of culturally grounded care, being aware of the cultural history, the cultural values, and then also the current issues that impact mental health outcomes.”
Words like “strong” and “independent” have long been associated with Black women for some time and many of us have begun to embrace the soft life and are using rest as a form of resistance. However, some of us still struggle with putting ourselves first and overall shedding the tainted image of the “strong, Black woman” that had been forced on us.
Camesha shares that while there’s more and more communities being created around empowerment and shared interests like running, she still questions, “are Black women really comfortable with being vulnerable about sharing their experiences?”
Being vulnerable with ourselves and others play an important role in healing the instinctive nature of always being “on” for everyone. “I'm currently facilitating a group on high functioning depression, and yesterday, we talked about how when Black women may be struggling or have shared their concerns with other people. They may be minimized, or they're told to just be strong, or it's not so bad, or I went through something worse back in Jim Crow era, so you should be thankful,” she explains.
“So I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people. So that is probably a very common theme. I think we've made a lot of progress when we talk about the superwoman syndrome, the mammy stereotype, the working hard stereotype, the nurturing stereotype. I think we're beginning to unpack those things, but I still see that we have definitely a long way to go in that area.”
I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people.
Roman Samborskyi/ Shutterstock
While we’re unpacking those things, we know that we’re still women at the end of the day. So as we continue to serve in various roles like mothers, daughters, sisters, and caretakers, we have to make caring for ourselves a priority. Camesha reveals four ways we can still care for others without abandoning ourselves.
Trust
First things first, trust. Camesha explains, “Some of the burdens that Black women have can be linked to not feeling like you can trust people to carry the load with you.
“It's hard because people experience trauma or being let down or different experiences, but one of the things that I found personally is the more that I'm able to practice trust, the more I'm able to get my needs met. Then, to also show up as my best to care for other Black women.”
Know Your Limitations
Another thing Camesha highlighted is Black women knowing their limitations. “The other thing that I would like to bring up in terms of a way to care for yourself is to really know your limitations, or know how much you can give and what you need to receive,” she says.
“So often, what I see with Black women is giving, giving, giving, giving, giving to the point that you're not feeling well, and then not receiving what you need in return to be able to feel well and whole individually. So I really think it's important to know your limitations and know your capacity and to identify what it is that you need to be well.”
Don’t Take On A Lot Of Responsibilities
Next on the list is not taking on so many responsibilities, sharing herself as an example. “The other thing is taking on too much responsibility, especially in a time of vulnerability.
“One thing that I personally struggled with was being so passionate about community mental health for Black women, and saying yes to everything and taking on so much responsibility,” she reveals. “That affected me to do well in serving Black women and then also impacting my own well being.”
Practice Self-Care
Lastly, she notes the importance of practicing self-care. “The last thing is really practicing regular self care, regular community care, so that it's embedded into your daily life. So for me, having prepared meals, going to the gym, getting eight hours of sleep, spending time with friends and family, all of those things are part of my self care that keep me at my best,” she explains.
“Then community care, leaning into social networks or social groups, or spending time with other interests or hobbies. That's a part of my community care that keeps me going, so that I can take care of my needs, but also to be able to show up best in care for others.”
Find out more about Camesha and Sista Afya Community Care at communitycare.sistaafya.com.
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