Iron: the hill Rose Stokes won’t die on

Iron: the hill Rose Stokes won’t die on

From Standard Issue Podcast by Standard Issue

May 5, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

Rose Stokes discusses her experience with iron deficiency and its implications for women's health.

Aged 38, journalist Rose Stokes felt not quite right, in fact, she felt not at all well. Doctors quickly dismissed her concerns as either exhaustion from the demands of her two young children, or – classic! – perimenopause, and it wasn’t until a blood test found Rose to be iron deficient that it all began to make sense. When Rose wrote about her experience for the Guardian, she was inundated with messages from other women who’d felt similarly dismissed. Jen chats to Rose about her experience, why iron deficiency is a feminist issue, and why the growing conversation around perimenopause might now be tipping the balance when it comes to addressing women’s health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Jen

Guest: Rose Stokes

Topics covered

  • iron deficiency
  • women's health
  • perimenopause
  • feminism
  • journalism

Keywords

  • iron deficiency
  • perimenopause
  • women's health
  • feminist issue
  • journalism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Guardian

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