Female Athlete Iron Deficit Estimator
Female endurance athletes can struggle to maintain healthy iron stores due to menstrual losses, sweat, and red blood cell turnover. This estimator combines ferritin, hemoglobin, body weight, menstrual flow, and training load to quantify the approximate iron deficit that may need to be replenished.
Educational estimate only. Consult licensed professionals before altering supplementation.
Examples
- Half-marathoner: ferritin 18 ng/mL, hemoglobin 11.8 g/dL, weight 58 kg, default menstrual loss, 10 training hours ⇒ Estimated iron deficit: 393.14 mg (Moderate depletion).
- Triathlete: ferritin 28 ng/mL, hemoglobin 13.1 g/dL, weight 65 kg, menstrual loss 50 mL, 6 training hours ⇒ Estimated iron deficit: 145.20 mg (Mild depletion).
FAQ
Why does the deficit include menstrual and training components?
Both are recurring drains that drive iron turnover in female athletes. Including them highlights ongoing replenishment needs even when lab values look acceptable.
What if my hemoglobin is already above 13.5 g/dL?
When hemoglobin meets or exceeds the reference point, the erythrocyte component drops to zero and only storage, menstrual, and training adjustments remain.
Does this replace medical advice?
No. Use the estimate to frame conversations with sports physicians or dietitians and to monitor trends between lab draws.
Additional Information
- The calculation tops up ferritin toward 35 ng/mL (a common target for high-performing female endurance athletes) and hemoglobin toward 13.5 g/dL.
- Menstrual losses assume roughly 0.5 mg of iron per millilitre of blood; adjust the optional field if you track volume using menstrual cups or medical estimates.
- Training stress adds 0.3 mg per intense hour to reflect hemolysis, sweat losses, and gastrointestinal microbleeds seen in high-mileage blocks.