First off, let me say that I think blood donation is very important. It was something I neglected for years, but that I recognize as a very necessary & vital part of our modern medical system ... lives literally rely daily on the volunteer efforts of blood donors.

I want to put that out front because I don't want to discourage anyone from either continuing donating or from starting out. If anything, I'd encourage more people to donate if they are able, to come out & help shoulder the load ... Canadian Blood Services, for example, says only 4% of the populate donates.

That said, through personal experience I've recently learned something new about staying healthy while donating.

Over the past few years I got back into donating and started donating regularly as allowed by CBS which ended up with me donating somewhere around 5 times a year. However, the last time I attempted (back in July) I received a deferral due to low hemoglobin (I was 124 g/l and 125 is the low cut-off). Based on the nurse's recommendation, I picked up a multi-vitamin that included iron and decided to try that for the next couple months until the deferral period was up.

However, I also decided to go see my doctor before attempting to donate again (something also recommended by CBS on the form I received about the low hemoglobin). Now, this blood test would've been about 4 months since I last donated, and 2 of those months taking the multi with iron, and my hemoglobin was still low (although at 126 it was above the minimum for donating) and my iron (ferritin) was really low - 10 pmol/L (?) with the doctor saying he'd be looking for more in the 80-120 range, if I remember right (normal is something like 20-400 I think).

Of course with low iron comes lowered energy levels and general tiredness, which explains somethings; it's hard to tell sometimes if you are running low for a "real" reason or if its just the busyness of life.

Anyways, for now, I'm taking dedicated iron supplements in addition to my multi and then heading back to the doctor in the New Year to see how things are progressing. I do plan on donating again, but I'll be working closely with my doctor to come up with a plan of supplementation, donation frequency and medical check-ups to ensure I am not running my body into the ground doing so!

So, the TLDR version is: if you donate regularly, ensure you see your doctor regularly to monitor your iron levels. And if you don't donate, give us a hand because apparently at least some of us can't keep donating at the rate we'd like

Well that's one problem I don't have anymore. When I was a young child I had low iron and was a sickly kid. Sickly in the sense that I literally caught every childhood disease imaginable. But I somehow grew out of that (perhaps at the same time I had my appendix out at 20) and later in life began donating blood. A few years ago CBS switched over to the digital count for iron (away from the basic specific gravity test) I've always been in the 160 range. I am a meat lover so I have no problem keeping the iron level up.

I've donated blood off and on over the years (56 and counting) and will likely continue as my health continues. My reasons are personal - I've had 4 family members pass away from cancer and I feel the need to help beat the disease. Anything I can do to help others survive....

Just so you know, CBS tests hemoglobin not iron (I always thought that was an iron test too). On their information page about hemoglobin and iron, they state that someone can have normal hemoglobin but low iron. Actually, from what I've read since this happened to me, it seems that simply testing hemoglobin is insufficient to know if your iron levels are good.

A recent study of 550 Canadian donors (500 with normal hemoglobin & 50 with low) was performed and some of its findings included:

• More than a third of first-time female donors and about two thirds of repeat female donors had low or absent iron stores.
• Iron stores were rarely low in first-time male donors, but were low in more than a third of repeat donors.
• Hemoglobin levels and ferritin levels did correlate somewhat; donors who failed or just passed the hemoglobin test (“low pass”) had lower ferritin levels than donors with a “high pass” (130 g/L or greater).

The findings were summarized:

Blood donors selflessly provide the gift of life, and Canadain Blood Services owes it to them to minimize any ill-effects on their health. In Canada, a dedicated group of repeat donors provide close to 90% of the donations we receive. We are incredibly grateful for such generous donors, who return time and again to give. This study showed that a significant proportion of our whole blood donors are iron deficient and that iron deficiency relates strongly to sex and frequency of donation.

Apparently CBS is now starting to measure iron (ferritin) in some locations, but I think this is still in trials.

A larger US study (2,425 donors) was also done a couple years ago and it found:

Among frequent donors, two-thirds (66%) of the women and almost half (49%) of the men were iron deficient. The true prevalence of iron deficiency among regular donors is surely higher; the RISE study enrolled only frequent donors who had been accepted for donation, excluding those deferred for a low hemoglobin concentration ... Neither these loyal donors nor the national blood supply are well served by the collection practices and regulatory framework that have produced widespread iron deficiency among those who regularly give their blood.

Again, this is not to say that donation is bad or that everyone who donates is going to become anemic. However, it is prevelant enough that I think it's wise for regular donors to meet with their doctors, test their iron (ferritin) levels, and come up with a plan for donation and monitoring that ensures they are not compromising their health while donating. Unfortunately, I do not think the cursory tests performed by the agencies that collect donations are sufficient to ensure a donor's good health.