Since her early teens, Emma Cleary suffered light-headedness, extreme tiredness and was cruelly nicknamed ‘Casper’ by classmates referring to her ghost-like appearance.
‘I kept going back to the doctors but eventually I gave up and just started fending for myself,’ she says. ‘It felt like they just wanted me to put up and shut up.’
At 16 she was eventually diagnosed with anaemia – a blood condition caused by a lack of iron that leads to tiredness and lack of energy. But, she says, no one ever explained that it could be linked to her heavy periods.
Research suggests that one in three women suffer from heavy menstrual bleeding – yet many, like Emma, do not even realise they are affected, let alone the dramatic impact it can have on their health.
‘I could easily bleed through dresses and down to my socks, so I became really conscious of what I was wearing,’ she says. ‘I wore black a lot to try to hide it.
‘But growing up, I just thought that was normal. It wasn’t something I spoke about with friends or even my mum. I assumed this was what everyone was going through, so I just got on with it.’
Despite repeated visits to her GP, Emma says her heavy periods were never addressed, and the iron supplements she was prescribed did little to ease symptoms.
By her late 20s, and working as a model, the impact became impossible to ignore when her hair began falling out.
‘All women are conscious of their looks, but this was my livelihood,’ she says. ‘I would go to shoots and the make-up artists would have to colour in my scalp to make the hair loss less visible.’
Now 42 and a mother of two, Emma has finally found relief. She has been given a private prescription for tranexamic acid and also receives annual iron infusions
Although she suffered light-headedness and extreme tiredness from her early teens, it wasn’t until years later that Emma got a diagnosis
Though she paid thousands for a hair transplant, the problem remained.
‘I was queuing in the supermarket one day and felt terrible – dizzy, exhausted and bleeding heavily – but I was just trying to get through,’ she recalls.
‘The next thing I knew, I had a face full of flowers. I’d fainted into a display by the till. When I came round, all I could see were flowers, and I genuinely thought I’d died and it was my funeral.
‘Then it hit me how embarrassing it was – being 35 years old and having your dad come and pick you up from the shop.’
Now 42 and a mother of two, Emma has finally found relief. She has been given a private prescription for tranexamic acid, which reduces menstrual bleeding, and she also receives annual iron infusions.
‘Without it, there’s no way I would have been able to start my own business or be a mum to my two boys,’ she says. ‘The medication I’m on now is supposed to be available on the NHS – but no one ever asked about my periods when I went to the doctors.’
Experts say such failures amount to a ‘silent public health crisis’. Last month, an analysis published in The Lancet by researchers at Anglia Ruskin University found that thousands of women are admitted to hospital every year because of heavy menstrual bleeding.
Dr Bassel Wattar, associate professor of reproductive medicine at the university, said: ‘This is a silent crisis in women’s health. ‘We see thousands of women admitted to hospital for a condition that could often be managed earlier and more effectively in the community. Guidelines and services in the NHS do not provide a clear pathway for managing acute heavy menstrual bleeding efficiently.
‘This mismanagement leads to women being discharged with temporary fixes, often still anaemic, and left to navigate long waiting lists. We need to shift from reactive to proactive care.’
Periods are considered heavy if blood loss interferes with daily life – a problem affecting at least one in three women. This includes regularly bleeding through pads, tampons or clothing; needing to change sanitary products every 30 minutes to two hours, or having to plan work and social activities around periods because of the blood loss.
The condition, known as menorrhagia, can be treated with hormonal contraceptives or tranexamic acid. But experts warn that prolonged heavy bleeding frequently leads to iron deficiency.
Studies suggest that 36 per cent of UK women of child-bearing age may be iron-deficient – yet only one in four is formally diagnosed.
Iron is an essential mineral, vital for energy levels, cognitive function, digestion and immunity. While most people get sufficient amounts from food – particularly meat and leafy green vegetables – losses caused by heavy periods can quickly outweigh intake.
‘Women with an iron deficiency get dizzy, suffer from shortness of breath and brain fog, and symptoms can be debilitating,’ says Professor Toby Richards, a haematologist at University College London. ‘Symptoms are often comparable to – and mistaken for – ADHD and depression.’
He is calling for national screening for iron deficiency with a new charity, Shine.
In a pilot study at the University of East London, his team screened more than 900 women. One in three reported heavy periods, and 20 per cent had anaemia.
Women with iron deficiency were also more likely to report symptoms of depression.
‘The Shine pilot has shown how targeted screening can prevent ill health and tackle inequalities,’ says Professor Amanda Broderick, vice-chancellor and president of the university.
‘It’s already made a real difference for our students – raising awareness of heavy menstrual bleeding and its link to anaemia, and empowering women to take control of their health.’
