Fatigue Fallout: New Survey Shows One Quarter of Women Suffer from Unexplained Fatigue, Negatively Affecting Their Personal and Professional Lives: More Than a Third Say Their Sex Lives Have Been Directly Impacted and Nearly Half Attribute Weight Gain to Fatigue

MARIETTA, Ga., June 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- If you've been feeling unusually tired and in a bad mood much of the time and can't seem to figure out why, you're not alone. A recent survey¹ of U.S. women conducted by Harris Interactive for Feosol® Iron Supplements found that over the past 12 months, nearly a quarter of women in the U.S. (23%) experienced unexplained fatigue, and many of those have indicated that it negatively affected their lives in a variety of ways, from sex to weight gain and even careers. What's more, nearly 7 out of 10 (69%) of these women have not spoken to a doctor about their fatigue.  

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Defined as "extreme tiredness" that is prolonged and cannot be attributed to excessive exercise, pregnancy or an illness, these women report how unexplained fatigue impacted their lives, not only physically, but also emotionally and socially.

"In most cases, unusual and prolonged fatigue in women can be attributed to an illness, pregnancy, excessive exercise or menstruation," explains Erin Palinski-Wade, a registered dietitian who sees many patients with fatigue.  "However, if one experiences fatigue but does not have any of these conditions, it might be a symptom of an underlying condition, such as iron-related anemia. In these cases, which must be identified through a blood work-up, I typically recommend iron supplementation as well as some dietary changes."

The following are highlights from the Feosol^® "Fatigue Fallout" survey of women (ages 18+) and how unexplained fatigue negatively affects their lives in various ways:

Physical Fallout of Unexplained Fatigue:

• Nearly six out of 10 (59%) say they are less motivated to be physically active
• Almost half (47%) believe they've gained weight
• More than two thirds haven't seen a doctor for their unexplained fatigue

Emotional/Psychological Fallout:

• 42% find it difficult to concentrate
• Four out of 10 (41%) believe they are in a bad mood much of the time due to their unexplained fatigue
• More than one third (36%) believe their fatigue makes them look unmotivated

Social Fallout:

• More than a third (35%) say their sex life has been negatively impacted
• More than a quarter (27%) feel fatigue is putting stress on their relationships
• A quarter (26%) feel fatigue is challenging their social life
• Nearly a fifth (17%) believe that it's having a negative effect on their work/career
• Nearly one-tenth (9%) says they've missed more work/school days than normal

"Unexplained fatigue that impacts your life should never be self-diagnosed," adds Palinski-Wade. "Don't be afraid to find out what's causing it. The fix might be as easy as taking a daily supplement or making changes to your diet, so women should not be afraid to investigate what is causing their fatigue."  

About Meda Consumer Healthcare:

Meda Consumer Healthcare, distributor of Feosol® Iron Supplements, is the U.S. over-the-counter division of Stockholm-based Meda AB, a top 50 global specialty pharmaceutical company. For the second consecutive year, Feosol Iron Supplements has been named by U.S. News & World Report and Pharmacy Times as the #1 Pharmacist Recommended Iron Supplement Brand for 2013-2014.  For more information go to www.feosol.com.

¹ Harris Interactive QuickQuery; fielding period: March 8-12, 2013; conducted for Robin Leedy & Associates, on behalf of  Feosol® Iron Supplements; 1246 women ages 18+.

SOURCE Meda Consumer Healthcare