Falling asleep immediately after work was a warning sign something was wrong, but it wasn't until blood tests were done during pregnancy that Sally Fuesaina's iron deficiency was revealed — something it's estimated one in three female athletes have.
Rugby union prop Sally Fuesaina thought her excessive fatigue was normal. It took a routine blood test to diagnose iron deficiencyWhat's next?
"I could be on the field trying to move around, but there's not enough blood and oxygen flowing in my body for me to perform well," Fuesaina said. Her stand-out season in this year's Super Rugby Women's competition led to her selection in the Wallaroos squad for the first time.Fuesina grew up in a Samoan household where cultural and financial limitations meant iron-rich food like red meat was off the menu.
"They told me I had really low iron and if I didn't stay on top of that, I would need an iron infusion," she said.On average, around one in three female athletes have an iron deficiency, compared to just one in 10 male athletes.The staggering difference in the way iron deficiency impacts male and female athletes is what Australian Catholic University postdoctoral research fellow, Alannah McKay, has been researching for about eight years.
Therefore, it impairs an athlete's aerobic capacity and fitness, which means they are often fatigued.
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