Menstruation and Anemia

I am anemic and supplement with B-12 and iron at my doctor’s recommendation, however, it gets really difficult when I’m on my period. I have very heavy bleeding and my doctor believes BC for period control isn’t right for me. Today I stood up from sitting on the couch, got lightheaded, and fell.

I can’t miss school every time I’m on my period, but it’s very difficult for me to complete daily tasks with this sort of weakness and lightheadedness.

Has anyone else similar experiences? Any ideas of what course of action I should take?