Many young women, prior to their first pregnancy, suffer with severe constipation and anemia, which are often seen as unrelated symptoms. The anemia or low blood iron stems from the loss of blood due to menses while constipation is a gastrointestinal (gut) disorder resulting in difficulty in passing out feces (stool). However evidence suggests that both anemia and constipation may be linked to a common hormonal cause that plagues many menstruating women.