I ignored my condition and lost half of my hair – .

A dietary supplement transformed a woman’s thinning hair after years of ignoring an underlying iron deficiency.

Along with extreme hair loss, she suffered from shortness of breath and a lack of energy.

The woman took to Reddit’s TwoXChromosomes forum, writing under the handle u/curioushummingbird.

She recalled that not taking her anemia seriously caused her to lose more than half of her hair.

“I hadn’t been officially diagnosed, but I knew I was anemic since I was a teenager, when I started trying to donate blood and was almost always rejected due to low hemoglobin levels.” , she said.

“As an adult, I know the common symptoms (low energy, very pale skin, headaches), but I never took them too seriously.”

The 5ft 2in tall woman weighing around 54.4kg revealed a terrifying experience while hiking with friends that ultimately led her to speak to a doctor.

“I knew I was out of shape and was probably going to be a little out of breath going up the hill, but I knew there had to be something wrong when I couldn’t even do halfway there before I had to stop to catch my breath,” she said. .

“I literally felt like I couldn’t breathe and I was taking big, deep breaths while feeling like my heart was pounding in my chest.

“Honestly, it was pretty scary, so later that day I made an appointment with my doctor to get some blood work done.

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“My results? 7.5g/dl; almost less than half of what it should be and almost to the point of needing a transfusion. Yeah.

“So at this point I was definitely taking it seriously and conscientiously taking my daily dose of 325 mg of ferrous sulfate for 3 months to get it back to normal.

“I felt great and had so much more energy. I started working out again and was overall much happier.

The woman said having to get a haircut to conceal how much her locks had thinned in a year had made her pay more attention to the shedding.

She said it was a few months after she started taking supplements for her anemia that she began to experience new growth in previously patchy areas.

“It’s now been a year since I started taking the supplements and the new growth is about 6 inches long,” she said.

“My hair is wavy when it’s long and curly when it’s short, so you can imagine what I look like right now.

“Honestly, it reminds me of a football helmet.

“I love having long hair, so I’m putting up with the stringy ends for now, but I’ll probably cut it off once the new growth reaches my collarbones.

“Honestly, I’m just grateful it’s growing back.

“So yeah, if you’re anemic, don’t be like me and ignore the warning signs lol the consequences really aren’t worth it!”

The post received hundreds of upvotes and many commenters admitted they hadn’t thought their hair loss could be due to anemia.

The Redditor said taking the supplements had made an “insane” difference to his overall health.

“I take one every three days now,” she wrote. “Make sure you take them with a full meal, otherwise they can make you nauseous for hours.”

“I’m not sure about the brand as it’s just prescribed by my NP. [nurse practitioner]but they are 325 mg tablets of ferrous sulfate,” she added.

“They are red pills and about the size of an M&M.”

Anemia occurs when your blood is low in red blood cells or hemoglobin, according to Healthline.

Iron deficiency is “one of the most common causes” of anemia.

Children, adolescents, pregnant people, vegans, premenopausal people and people with chronic illnesses are most at risk of iron deficiency.

Symptoms may include hair loss, brittle nails, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and feeling weak.

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Ferrous sulfate supplements usually come in oral tablet form and can help maintain normal iron levels or treat a deficiency, including anemia.

It is important to speak to a healthcare professional before taking the supplement, as the amount to take varies between individuals.