If you rate your general energy level on a scale of one to 10, what would it be? If it’s below a five, you may be asking yourself, “Why am I tired all the time?”
This is a common question among folks assigned female at birth. Those assigned female have a higher prevalence of both general fatigue and chronic fatigue when compared to those assigned male.
Here, we’ll explore the common causes of fatigue for those assigned female, and what you can do to start feeling better.
Understanding fatigue in women
In a 2023 research review looking at more than 90 studies including more than 600,000 participants, researchers found that more than 18 percent of people assigned female experience some type of fatigue.
The occasional bout of fatigue is normal. We’ve all had the experience of feeling drained after a long day or week, for example. But if you’re experiencing ongoing fatigue or seem to experience it often, you might need to get to the root cause.
“Fatigue, whether it’s mental, physical, or both, affects all aspects of life. It typically is a sign that something is going on that should be addressed,” says Dr. Anne Hussain, a licensed naturopathic doctor, and the author of “The Period Literacy Handbook.”
Many factors can cause fatigue or a feeling of heaviness, including underlying medical conditions, hormonal imbalances or shifts, nutritional deficiencies, mental health concerns, lifestyle habits, and more.