
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
More episodes of Standard Issue Podcast
- Liv Hill is 1536 shades of smashing · June 12, 2026 · 27 min
- The Bush Telegraph: Angrier than a bad case of monkey butt · June 11, 2026 · 30 min
- Rated or Dated: Logan's Run (1976) · June 10, 2026 · 32 min
- Need a sonnet? We're on it · June 9, 2026 · 25 min
- Rosie Morris on the kids making sure Mum's OK · June 8, 2026 · 26 min
- Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Anoushka Warden have All The Rage · June 5, 2026 · 26 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Standard Issue Podcast podcast page.