Anaemia in Indian Women: Why Half of Us Are Running on Empty

According to national health surveys, around 57% of Indian women aged 15–49 are anaemic. That's every second woman — mothers, professionals, students — living with reduced oxygen supply to every cell of their body, usually without a diagnosis.

What Anaemia Feels Like

The cruel part is how ordinary the symptoms seem:

• Tiredness that everyone dismisses as "just work stress"
• Breathlessness climbing stairs
• Pale skin, brittle nails, hair fall
• Difficulty concentrating; feeling cold often
• Craving ice or chalk (a classic iron-deficiency sign)
• Rapid heartbeat on mild exertion

Women normalise this exhaustion for years. It is not normal — and it's very treatable.

Why Women Are More Affected

• Monthly menstrual blood loss, especially with heavy periods
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding — iron demands double
• Dietary patterns — vegetarian diets provide less absorbable iron
• Tea with meals — tannins block iron absorption significantly

The Tests That Give Answers

• CBC — confirms anaemia via haemoglobin and shows red cell size (MCV), which hints at the cause
• Iron Profile — serum iron, ferritin and TIBC reveal whether iron stores are truly depleted
• Vitamin B12 — because B12 deficiency causes a different type of anaemia needing different treatment

All three are included in Yourlab's Women's Health Package (₹2200), along with thyroid, sugar and Vitamin D.

Treatment Works — Fast

With the right diagnosis, most women feel dramatically better within 4–8 weeks of iron or B12 therapy. Many tell us they'd forgotten what normal energy felt like.

If you've been tired for months, don't push through — test. One home visit, one small sample, and you'll finally know.