Most Common Nutrient Deficiencies in Women and How to Prevent Them

Contrary to popular belief, you can eat a pretty healthy diet and still come up short on certain vitamins and minerals. In fact, nutrient deficiencies and inadequate intakes are surprisingly common, and women have a few unique reasons they may be more vulnerable to certain nutritional gaps, since things like menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, and dietary patterns can all change what your body needs.

Knowing which nutrients tend to be trickier to get enough of can help you make smarter choices about what ends up on your plate and recognize when it might be worth checking in with a healthcare professional.

As a registered dietitian, I’m breaking down the most common nutrient deficiencies in women, why they happen, the signs to look out for, and the best food sources to help you meet your needs.

Most common nutrient deficiencies at a glance

Nutrient	Why women may be at risk	Common symptoms	Food sources
Iron	• menstruation increases iron losses • women of reproductive age have higher iron needs	fatigue, weakness, pale skin, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches	red meat, poultry, seafood, beans, lentils, tofu, fortified cereals, pumpkin seeds, leafy greens
Vitamin B12	• people who eat little or no animal products have fewer natural dietary sources of B12 • absorption can decline with age	fatigue, weakness, pale skin, numbness or tingling, balance problems, cognitive changes	meat, fish, eggs, dairy, fortified foods, nutritional yeast
Calcium	• women have a higher risk of osteoporosis, especially after menopause	muscle cramps, weakness, tingling or numbness, bone loss	dairy, fortified plant milks, calcium-set tofu, canned fish with bones, beans, leafy greens
Iodine	• vegetarian and vegan diets may provide less iodine	fatigue, weight changes, feeling unusually cold, dry skin, goiter	seafood, dairy, eggs, iodized salt, seaweed
Magnesium	• many people don’t get enough magnesium from their diets	muscle cramps, weakness, fatigue, nausea, abnormal heart rhythm	nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, leafy greens, dark chocolate
Vitamin D	• limited sun exposure can make it difficult to get enough • few foods are high in vitamin D	bone pain, muscle weakness, fatigue, frequent fractures	fatty fish, egg yolks, fortified dairy and plant milks, fortified foods

Why certain nutrient deficiencies may be more common in women

Women aren’t necessarily destined to be deficient in certain nutrients, but there are a few reasons why some nutrient gaps may be more common among women.

For starters, there’s menstruation. Every month, women who have periods lose some iron through menstrual blood loss, which can make it harder to keep iron stores topped up, especially if your periods are very heavy.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding can also increase your body’s demand for certain nutrients. Growing and feeding a whole human is, unsurprisingly, a fairly nutrient-intensive activity. Nutrients like iron, folate, iodine, and calcium become especially important during this stage of life.

Diet can play a role, too, and women are significantly more likely than men to follow vegetarian and vegan diets. That’s worth mentioning here because some nutrients (including iron, vitamin B12, iodine, and vitamin D) can require a little extra attention on plant-based diets.

Finally, there’s age. As women get older, nutrient needs and absorption can change, while maintaining bone health becomes increasingly important. Calcium and vitamin D, in particular, are essential as women move through menopause and beyond.

Of course, none of this means that every woman needs a cabinet full of supplements. In many cases, a varied, nutrient-dense diet can provide everything you need. However, knowing which nutrients tend to require a little extra planning can help you spot potential gaps before they become a bigger problem.

Most common nutrient deficiencies in women

So, which nutrients are most likely to fall through the cracks? While your needs vary based on factors like your age, diet, and life stage, there are a handful of nutrients that most women should keep on their radar.

Here are some of the most common nutrient deficiencies in women.

1. Iron

Iron is one of the biggest nutrients to keep tabs on as a woman, especially if you have periods. That’s because menstruation means regularly losing iron through blood loss, and heavier periods can increase those losses even more.

Women also have higher iron needs than men during the years before menopause, making it easier for iron stores to dip, especially if your diet is low in iron. It’s estimated that iron deficiency affects over 20% of women during their reproductive years.

People following vegan or vegetarian diets are at an even higher risk of deficiency. This is because plant foods contain non-heme iron, which isn’t absorbed as efficiently as the heme iron found in animal foods.

According to the National Institutes of Health, individuals who follow a vegetarian diet require 1.8 times more iron than those who include animal products in their diet.

2. Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is another nutrient worth focusing on, particularly if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. Because B12 is found primarily in animal foods, people who eat little or no meat, eggs, or dairy have fewer dietary sources to rely on.

Vitamin B12 also becomes more important to keep an eye on as you age, as your body becomes less efficient at absorbing it from food over time. Certain medications and digestive conditions can also interfere with vitamin B12 absorption.

And because vitamin B12 plays a key role in red blood cell formation and nerve function, it’s definitely not a nutrient you want to ignore.

3. Calcium

Calcium is especially key for women because it plays a major role in building and maintaining strong bones, and women are at greater risk of osteoporosis as they age.

This risk increases exponentially after menopause, as declining estrogen levels can actually accelerate bone loss.

Yet despite that, many women don’t consistently get enough calcium from their diets, with research estimating that around half of the global population falls short.

4. Iodine

Iodine may not get as much buzz as iron or vitamin D, but it’s another important one for women to keep an eye on.

Your body needs iodine to make thyroid hormones, which help regulate metabolism, energy production, body temperature, and other essential functions.

Iodine becomes especially important during pregnancy, when needs increase to support the developing baby’s brain and nervous system.

Women who follow plant-based diets may also be more likely to have lower intakes, particularly if they don’t regularly consume dairy, eggs, or iodized salt.

5. Magnesium

Magnesium is involved in literally hundreds of processes throughout your body, including muscle and nerve function, energy production, blood sugar regulation, bone health, and more.

While women don’t necessarily need dramatically more magnesium than men, getting enough is still important, and many women don’t consistently meet their needs through food.

Diet is probably the biggest culprit here. Magnesium-rich foods include nuts, seeds, beans, whole grains, leafy greens, and dark chocolate, so eating patterns that are low in these foods may be low in magnesium.

According to research published in 2025, around 31% of the population worldwide isn’t getting enough magnesium in their daily diet.

While magnesium draws a lot of discussion for things like cramps, sleep, and PMS, it’s important not to assume that any of these symptoms automatically mean you’re deficient. Still, making sure your diet includes plenty of magnesium-rich foods can be a smart move.

6. Vitamin D

Your body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight, but factors like limited sun exposure, darker skin, sunscreen use, living farther from the equator, and spending most of the day indoors can all reduce vitamin D production.

Diet doesn’t always make up the difference, either, since relatively few foods contain a significant amount of vitamin D.

Vitamin D also has a pretty important job: helping your body absorb calcium and keeping your bones strong. And considering women are more likely to develop osteoporosis later in life, this is a nutrient you don’t want to ignore.

Signs you may have a nutrient deficiency

Nutrient deficiencies don’t always come with a giant flashing warning sign. However, certain symptoms can signal that you might not be getting enough of a particular nutrient.

Some symptoms that may be associated with nutrient deficiencies include:

• Fatigue or low energy: Low levels of iron, vitamin B12, folate, and several other nutrients can leave you feeling unusually tired.
• Weakness: This can be a sign of anemia, which may occur with iron and vitamin B12 deficiency.
• Hair loss or brittle nails: Inadequate iron, zinc, or other nutrients can affect healthy hair and nail growth.
• Muscle cramps: Low magnesium, calcium, or vitamin D can impact muscle function.
• Tingling or numbness: Vitamin B12 deficiency can affect nerve function and cause these sensations.
• Frequent illness: Nutrients like vitamin D, zinc, vitamin C, and others play important roles in immune function.
• Changes in mood or concentration: Deficiencies in nutrients such as iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D could affect mood, cognition, or mental well-being.

Keep in mind that many symptoms of nutritional deficiencies can also have other explanations, so you can’t diagnose a deficiency based on how you feel alone.

Additionally, some nutrient deficiencies might sneak up on you without causing any noticeable symptoms at all.

If you’re concerned about a deficiency, talk with a healthcare professional about your symptoms, diet, and whether bloodwork or other testing makes sense.

How to prevent nutrient deficiencies

In most cases, a balanced, varied diet is your best bet for preventing nutrient deficiencies, along with targeted supplementation if needed to help fill in the gaps.

A few simple habits can help you cover your bases:

• Eat a variety of foods: Rotate between fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and protein-rich foods to get a wider mix of vitamins and minerals.
• Include nutrient-rich foods regularly: Leafy greens, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, dairy or fortified plant milks, eggs, and fortified foods can all help round out your diet.
• Account for your life stage: Nutrient needs change during pregnancy, breastfeeding, adolescence, and after menopause, so what worked for you in your 20s may not be quite enough forever.
• Consider your diet pattern: Vegetarian and vegan diets can absolutely be nutritionally adequate, but nutrients like vitamin B12, iron, iodine, calcium, and vitamin D may require a little more careful planning.
• Use fortified foods strategically: Fortified plant milks, cereals, nutritional yeast, and other fortified foods can be an easy way to squeeze extra nutrients into your diet.
• Take supplements when they actually make sense: Some people have higher needs or difficulty absorbing certain nutrients and may benefit from supplementation. More isn’t always better, though, and some vitamins and minerals can actually cause problems in excessive amounts.
• Get checked if you have risk factors or symptoms: If you’re experiencing fatigue, weakness, hair loss, numbness, or other symptoms, talk with a healthcare professional for guidance.

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Conclusion

Nutrient deficiencies are common, but that doesn’t mean you need to obsess over every vitamin and mineral you eat.

A balanced, varied diet built around nutrient-dense foods can go a long way toward meeting your needs, while certain life stages, dietary patterns, and health conditions may require a little extra attention.

And if something ever feels off, don’t guess! Instead, check in with a doctor or dietitian who can help you figure out what’s actually going on.