Can a person taking iron supplements donate blood?

Answer 1

Yes. While occasional whole blood donations will generally have little effect on iron levels and body stores, frequent donations may decrease these amounts. Recently, the FDA has discussed the possibility of raising the the minimum hemoglobin or hematocrit levels for volunteer blood donation, or increasing the time allowed between donations, in response to lowered donor iron. Current guidelines require a pre-donation hematocrit of 38% or hemoglobin level of 12.5 g/dL. Whole blood donations may be given every 56 days, while double red cell donations require a 112 day deferral.

Therapeutic phlebotomy is very effective in preventing iron toxicity in hemochromatosis patients and decreasing red cell mass in red cell hyperplasia/polycythemia vera patients.