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A recent estimate based on World Health Organization (WHO) criteria indicated that around 1.74 billion people worldwide have a marked iron deficiency anemia, with 39.7% of the global population suffering from iron deficiency without anemia. (1) In industrialized countries, the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia is much lower and usually varies between 2 percent and 8 percent. However, the prevalence of iron deficiency, including both anemic and non-anemic subjects, is much higher. (2)

WHO cites that “In industrialized countries, for example, an absence of iron stores or subnormal serum ferritin values is found in about 20-30 percent of women of fertile age. In adolescent girls the prevalence is even higher.” (3) But since the pandemic, where the rogue virus consumed a lot of iron to replicate, as much as 50% of the western world is now iron deficient and menstruating people are nearing 80%. (4)

The British Gastroenterology Society says, “Iron deficiency without anaemia (confirmed by low serum ferritin-hypoferritinaemia) is three times as common as IDA [iron deficiency anaemia] …” and may cause fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, restless legs, and many other symptoms.” (5)

Join Augustine, a women’s health functional medicine provider, midwife, researcher, patient advocate, and a survivor of severely debilitating acute iron deficiency, as she shares her protocols for testing and treating iron deficiency. This informative and relevant presentation aims to educate healthcare providers, birth workers, and patients alike on the magnitude of this epidemic and provide guidance on the essential laboratory assessments, symptoms, and the new evidenced-based values for evaluating iron status. It will also cover important aspects of proper treatment approaches and empower providers and patients to solve iron deficiency.