IV iron should be first-line treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding, study suggests

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By Olivia Bowthorpe

Intravenous iron should be offered as first-line treatment for iron deficiency anaemia in women with heavy menstrual bleeding, according to new research.

When given intravenously, iron dextran is likely to correct anaemia more quickly, be more tolerable, and improve quality of life more than oral iron supplements, say Dr George Goshua, assistant professor of medicine at Yale Cancer Center, and colleagues.