The condition affects at least twice as many women as men. Many women who enter menopause with an undiagnosed iron deficiency continue to be anemic -- because their iron stores are never adequately replenished. The Culprit Could Be Anemia When there is a shortage of healthy red blood cells, the amount of oxygen being carried through the circulatory system is insufficient to meet all of the body's needs. Physical impairment (for instance, difficulty getting up from a chair, walking or maintaining balance)...

Iron is crucial for production of hemoglobin, a protein needed to form healthy red blood cells. Premenopausal women are particularly prone to iron-deficiency anemia because menstruation and pregnancy drain the body of iron. Among its symptoms are fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, depression and cloudy thinking. Although some people think of anemia as a "young woman's disease," it affects postmenopausal women, too. Because these symptoms have many other possible causes, anemia often goes undiagnosed and untreated. ALL-IMPORTANT IRON Among anemia's various causes, the most com is iron deficiency.

Others become anemic after menopause due to blood loss -- for instance, from.

In fact, anemia hits seniors hard, increasing their risk for cognitive dysfunction (such as problems remembering to take medication or pay bills)...