Am I anemic?

[lizaah]

I'm starting to question if i'm anemic...  To start off i'm 17 years old, and i've also been a vegetarian literally my whole life.  Lately i've been feeling really dizzy, confused, anxious, depressed, and a number of other symptoms.  I've also been menstruating for about three months now... It's verrry light, but i know it's a concern. so, what do you guys think???! :/

[caripoo]

i'm almost 17 YEARS old and i haven't had a normal period yet,
the only thing that has happened is REALLY heavy bleeding for 5 days and that was 3 months ago.. it had never came back, what should i do?

[decteseliben]

also...LOL

Symptoms of anemia include:

Fatigue

Weakness

Fainting

Breathlessness

Heart palpitations (rapid or irregular beating)

Dizziness

Headache

Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)

Difficulty sleeping

Difficulty concentrating


Common signs include:

Pale complexion

The normally red lining of the mouth and eyelids fades in color

Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)

Abnormal menstruation (either absence of periods or increased bleeding)

[decteseliben]

Okay first off animea is ...if you didn't know

Anemia is a condition where there is an abnormally low number of red blood cells circulating in the body. It is the most common disorder of the red blood cells, affecting about 3.5 million Americans.

Anemia is not a disease. It is a condition that results from below-normal levels of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Hemoglobin is the iron-containing pigment of the red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.

There are many different kinds of anemia, each with its own cause. For example, a poor diet can cause anemia. The more severe types of this condition are often inherited.


next..

To understand why anemia occurs, it's important to understand the function of blood itself. Blood is a mixture of plasma (the fluid part of the blood) and cells. Its red color comes from the predominant cells found in the blood, called erythrocytes.

A healthy person has about 5 million red cells in every cubic millimeter of blood. Each cell contains a protein (hemoglobin) that carries oxygen through the body.

The process of creating and recycling red blood cells is exceptionally complex. Trouble can occur at any point in this process. If the red blood cells fail to effectively transport oxygen throughout the body, anemia can result.



Here are a few facts about anemia that I know of.

The word anemia is Greek for "without blood."

Anemia is a common problem for menstruating women because their iron supplies are depleted monthly.

In young children, marrow in all the bones produces red blood cells. As a person ages, red blood cells are eventually produced only in the marrow of the spine, ribs, and pelvis.

The life span of a red blood cell is between 90 and 120 days.

Old red blood cells are removed from the blood by the liver and spleen, and the iron is returned to the bone marrow to make new cells.

and this is what causes anemia.

When you're anemic, your body either produces too few healthy red blood cells, or destroys them faster than they can be replaced or loses too many of them. If your diet lacks certain vitamins and minerals, the production of hemoglobin can slow down.

Types of anemia caused by decreases in red cell production include iron deficiency anemia and vitamin deficient anemia.

If something in the body destroys or attacks red blood cells, the bone marrow tries to produce more blood. If the destruction of red blood cells is rapid, the marrow can't catch up. This problem is often inherited. The resulting anemia is called hemolytic anemia.


A severe bleeding episode can result in temporary anemia until the body has had time to make up the blood that was lost. But even small, persistent losses of blood may cause anemia if you have a poor diet. A healthy person whose diet contains plenty of iron and vitamins can produce large amounts of new blood, reducing the risk of anemia.