Anemia refers to inadequate amounts of red blood cells - the ones that are responsible for carrying oxygen to all parts of the body, including brain, muscles and the heart and other organs. Incredibly common, anemia is one of the four greatest causes of disability in the world. Unfortunately, women bear the brunt of anemia worldwide with the diagnosis made at least twice as often in them as in men. At least half of the anemia in the world is caused by a deficiency in iron (iron deficiency or ID), and while diet and nutrition clearly are important, and for many women, anemia is associated with blood loss associated with pregnancy, the most common reason for the difference between men and women is the blood lost at menstruation, which, when heavy, can lead to anemia even in a well nourished woman. This "heavy menstrual bleeding" or HMB may not be recognized by the woman, her family or her healthcare provider as being abnormal. Consequently, not only is she frequently disabled by the heavy menstrual bleeding and associated symptoms like pain, she experiences daily symptoms of ID or its extreme, iron deficiency anemia (IDA).  Girls and women who are iron deficient, even without anemia, can fatigue easily, are less tolerant of physical activity and may have difficulties with cognition - thinking "straight". Women who are anemic when pregnant have a greater risk  of premature labor, reduced tolerance for hemorrhage associated with delivery, and may have babies that do not develop normally, particularly the part of the brain associated with "cognition". All of these issues place women at a disadvantage with respect to their productivity in the workplace and their quality of life, not to mention the threat to their offspring. All of this is extremely unfortunate since treatment of both HMB and ID  including IDA are relatively simple and inexpensive in most instances.  So an important aspect of the management of anemia in women is recognition of the risk, performing simple tests, and, for those with  iron deficiency recognizing that much of the iron lost is due to heavy menstrual bleeding that can be generally easily treated with medications.