A few days ago I went too donate blood, I was told I had low iron. I had talked with the nurse and she said it's definitly not a good idea for me to be giving blood, I forgot to ask her whether or not it was for the time being, or forever. I plan on seeing a doctor asap, but I was just wondering, if I start eating better and get my iron levels up, will I be able to donate blood in the future?
2007-02-18 08:07:00 · 11 answers · asked by Mimi149 6 in Health ➔ Women's Health
Yes... The plain ans is YES..If the serum iron level is low that will result in Anemia.. meaning your Hb will be low and you cannot/ should not donate blood if your own level is lower than the lower limit... 11.5 mg/dl in females. But once your Hb level increases and is more than 12mg/dl , you can donate blood.. Serum iron levels should not be low, before you are going to bleed yourself...the reason is iron in required in the production of Hb. If it will be low, body cannot produce enough Hb and the demand on the reserves maximizes immediately after donating Blood...
Every healthy man and woman can donate blood every three months and is rather beneficial to our body to donate.
Hope this will resolve your question...
2007-02-18 08:19:42 · answer #1 · answered by Dr. Azim Ulah 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have this same problem and have been a blood donor for 25 years. You can donate 6 times a year or every two months.
But thanks to low Iron I usually can only donate every 4 to 6 months.
You need to take iron pills and eat plenty of beef. Eat raisins, nuts, pumpkin seeds. There are many other things.
Google "High Iron Content Foods" and get a list.
Eat well for a month and tell them your blood may have to be spun due to low iron. They will take your sample and do an iron test first, mine usually has to be spun in the centrifuge to determine if I meet the 37.5 iron count that our blood bank requires.
So the answer is yes you should be able to donate after you get your iron up. If you are naturally somewhat anemic, it is a never ending process. I always push to do it because I am O negative and they need donors so much. Good Luck.
2007-02-18 08:19:34 · answer #2 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you can donate again. Your iron level will be tested prior to each donation, so next time you go, if it is in the limits, you will be permitted to donate.
I am a blood donor, and get deferred once and a while because of low iron.
Also know that the standards used at the blood clinic are usually higher than the health canada standards for the average individual. So although your iron was too low to donate, it might be normal .
2007-02-18 08:13:26 · answer #3 · answered by samiam25ca 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you should be fine to donate blood once your iron level come up.
You can either take an iron only supplement (available at any drugstore) or a multivitamin with iron, or you can increase the types of food in your diet that have iron:
red meat
spinach
Total serial
Shredded Wheat cereal
Brocolli
Green Beans
Beets
A final trick would be to switch from using a non-stick frying pan to one of those sturdy, old fashioned iron skillets. They last forver, they let iron absorb into your food, and once you have used it for a long time (properly cleaning and oiling it) it becomes non-stick.
And they are $14 at Wal-mart!
2007-02-18 08:51:04 · answer #4 · answered by theShinning 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hi last time i gave blood i was told i couldnt cause i had low iron level the nurse told me to eat more iron rich foods such as liver chicken peanut butter and green veg she said that if i eat plenty of those foods my iron level would go up and i would be able to give blood she did also tell me not to take iron supplement due to the fact that the iron does not stay in the body as long so getting the iron your body need from food is far better for you eat well get your iron up and you will be able to give blood again
2007-02-18 08:21:56 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like you may be anemic! You can purchase over the counter Iron pills yo help elevate your levels. Yes you should be able to donate in the future.
2007-02-18 08:15:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It will be for just the time being until your own iron levels increase. Make sure you get plenty of iron rich food like green leafy veg and if you like it it liver. if you are vegetarian make sure you have planty of lentils and pulses as these are a good source of iron well. It is likely your doctor will advise on diet and look into rreasons why - eg heavy period. He is also likely to give you a supplement.
2007-02-18 08:13:05 · answer #7 · answered by jhaod 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes when your blood level becomes normal
2007-02-18 08:14:10 · answer #8 · answered by Pebbles 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, you can donate in the future
2007-02-18 08:10:33 · answer #9 · answered by brp_13 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
of course but your iron has to be high enough
2007-02-18 08:15:16 · answer #10 · answered by jessica p 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋