Dr Cory Dugan

Home
Australia
Perth, WA
Dr Cory Dugan

Directions Website

Fixing "your labs are fine" for women's health. Researcher · Coach · AI & Health Data Consultant.

Postdoc @ Pennington Biomedical (LSU) · Adjunct Research Fellow, Curtin University.

03/11/2026

Why are so many studies done only in men?

Research into underlying mechanisms wants as much controlled as possible, and that is where the preference for male participants comes from.

When women are included in exercise science, the methods some of the time specify testing in the follicular phase only, because that is when hormones are closest to men's.

So there is still so much to learn about how the menstrual cycle affects nutrition and exercise science.

From my conversation on The Powherful Project podcast ().

03/11/2026

A higher ferritin threshold for iron deficiency is the right call, and it was overdue.

The American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2026 guideline moved the adult threshold from 15 to 30 ug/L. In this reel, Wiebke Hensen asks how big a win that is for women.

The 50 ug/L threshold for heavy menstrual bleeding, symptoms, upcoming surgery or a planned pregnancy sits in a remark under the recommendation. Screening recommendations were out of scope, so the new number only helps the women who get tested.

Which matters more to you, the new number or getting tested in the first place?

Educational content, not individual medical advice.

Powers et al., Blood Advances 2026.

29/10/2026

One ferritin result tells you very little. Tracking it over time, under the same conditions each time, is what makes the numbers comparable.

From my conversation with Alex Larson () on Endurance Eats, episode 71, Iron Deficiency and Athletes: What You Need to Know. Full episode on her channel.

General information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about your own results.

27/10/2026

The best research questions are probably coming from the people who are experiencing these things.

If you have a question about iron you wish someone would study, I am always happy to have a chat.

From my conversation on The Powherful Project podcast.

18/10/2026

Iron in pregnancy: check early, check again.

A consensus statement I co-authored, from the Haematology in Obstetrics and Women's Health Collaborative and published in Internal Medicine Journal in 2025, recommends checking ferritin in every pregnancy: at the first antenatal visit, again at 24 to 28 weeks, and at 36 weeks if clinically indicated or if not screened earlier.

Iron deficiency can affect both mother and baby well before anaemia shows up. Waiting for anaemia means waiting too long.

If you're pregnant or planning to be, it's worth asking whether your ferritin has been checked.

With my co-authors Lisa Clarke, Bernd Froessler, Catherine Tang, Kylie King, Bryony Ross, Giselle Kidson-Gerber, Lynn Townsend, Talat Uppal, Laura Baxter, Shab Cook, Briony Cutts, Renee Eslick, Elizabeth Farrell, Luke Grzeskowiak and Nada Hamad.

Educational content, not individual medical advice.

17/10/2026

The IRONWOMAN RCT

Intravenous (IV) iron therapy is on the rise, particularly for women. But does it work for everyone equally?

Our recent double blind, randomised controlled trial (IRONWOMAN Trial) published in the , evaluated IV iron therapy in non-anaemic, iron-deficient active females.

While the study demonstrated that IV iron successfully corrected iron status, and significantly reduced fatigue compared to a placebo, it also highlighted a crucial clinical reality: Individual responses are highly variable. Even with the same 1000mg iron isomaltoside, the physiological and haematological uptake varied from patient to patient.

What does this mean for clinical practice?
We must acknowledge the non-haematological benefits of iron. Clinical guidelines must consider individual physiological profiles.

16/10/2026

Low iron fatigue is easy to blame on work, training or stress. Many people only realise how tired they were once their iron is treated.

From my conversation with Alex Larson () on Endurance Eats, episode 71, Iron Deficiency and Athletes: What You Need to Know. Full episode on her channel.

General information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about your own results.

15/10/2026

A normal ferritin is not always a normal iron store.

Ferritin reports how much iron you have stored, but it also rises when something in your body is inflamed. When that happens, the reading climbs while the store does not.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory marker. Checked beside your ferritin, it shows whether the ferritin number can be taken at face value.

Has anyone ever checked your C-reactive protein (CRP) alongside your iron studies?

Educational content, not individual medical advice.

13/10/2026

Low iron runs through three stages.

1. Iron depletion: stores getting low.
2. Iron deficiency without anaemia: symptoms like fatigue and brain fog can already show up.
3. Iron deficiency anaemia: the body cannot make red blood cells, so it carries less oxygen.

From my conversation on The Powherful Project podcast.

09/10/2026

One type of IV iron can lower phosphate, and it's worth knowing about.

In a trial analysis I co-authored, published in JAMA Network Open in 2025, patients given ferric carboxymaltose before major abdominal surgery were far more likely than those on placebo to have low phosphate by the day of surgery.

In patients given ferric carboxymaltose, moderate or severe low phosphate was linked with a longer hospital stay. Its symptoms, like weakness and fatigue, can be overlooked after a big operation.

This isn't a reason to avoid IV iron, which is a standard treatment. The paper concludes it needs further investigation, so if you're having IV iron, it's a fair thing to raise with your doctor.

Educational content, not individual medical advice.

Address

Perth, WA
6000

Website

https://drcorydugan.com/iron-guide, http://linkedin.com/in/cory-dugan-phd

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dr Cory Dugan posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.