I have been diagnosed with iron deficiency. What should I do?

As a gastroenterologist, I often see referrals for iron deficiency. Most of the time, iron deficiency is caused by limited intake of iron in the diet or by blood loss (as blood contains iron). If there is no specific cause identified, such as regular blood donations or heavy menstruation in women, I would generally perform a gastroscopy and colonoscopy for my patients, to exclude a cause of bleeding within the gastrointestinal tract. This may include significant erosive reflux, a peptic ulcer, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, a bleeding vessel, a polyp or rarely a gastrointestinal cancer.