Haemoglobin, iron health, ferritin and blood donation

When you donate blood you donate your red blood cells, which contain haemoglobin. This causes a drop in your haemoglobin.

That’s why we test your haemoglobin before each donation — we want to make sure it’s at a safe level for you to donate.

After you donate your body uses its iron stores to replenish your haemoglobin and red cells. Your body will be more efficient at replacing these if you have healthy iron stores. The iron stores that you use will then be replaced through your diet over time.

It’s important to maintain healthy iron stores as low iron (even with a normal haemoglobin) can lead to fatigue, impaired concentration or difficulty exercising. Low iron may also lead to low haemoglobin (anaemia), which may cause breathlessness and dizziness.

We recommend a healthy, iron-rich diet. The time it takes to replace the iron you have used to replenish your red cells after a donation varies from person to person. For some people, it takes longer than the 12-week minimum break we allow between blood donations. It generally takes longer for people who have higher iron requirements (e.g. younger donors or female donors) or low dietary iron intake (e.g. vegans and vegetarians).

We check your haemoglobin in the donor centre before each donation. This is usually with a fingerprick test, but in some of our centres we do it using a small sample of blood taken from the donation needle. Your haemoglobin will need to be in our acceptable range to donate.

Acceptable haemoglobin ranges

_{* The minimum range is lower for plasma and platelets because you get most of your red blood cells back during the donation. Find out more about donating plasma.}

Lifeblood tests donors' ferritin at their first blood donation and then every 10 blood donations.

The blood sample to test your ferritin is collected at the start of your donation and sent to one of Lifeblood's labs for testing. Your result will be available within two weeks.

Regular ferritin testing is not performed for plasma, platelet and therapeutic donations.

Some people think that the screening fingerprick test we do checks your iron, but it actually only measures haemoglobin. Haemoglobin and iron are linked, but the haemoglobin test can’t tell us what your iron levels are. Some people can have normal haemoglobin levels at the same time as having low iron levels.

Learn more about Lifeblood's expanded ferritin testing

• If you donate blood, we recommend a healthy iron-enriched diet.
• Women aged 18-45 are particularly susceptible to low iron because of menstruation and pregnancy so we recommend a short course of iron supplements each time after you give blood (but not plasma). We understand iron supplements are not appropriate for everyone so please read our brochure carefully and talk with your GP or pharmacist. For other donors we recommend you speak with your doctor to see if iron supplements are suitable for you.
• Although you can give blood every 12 weeks, this may not be suitable for everyone, especially for our younger donors, women of child-bearing age, or donors who have had low haemoglobin and or iron in the past. If that’s true for you, consider donating less often or give plasma, which has a very small impact on iron.
• If you’re planning for pregnancy, it’s especially important that you build and maintain healthy iron stores. Talk to your doctor about how best to manage your iron health in this situation.

While a lot of multivitamins do contain iron, most only have a small dose of elemental iron (e.g. 5mg per tablet). Multivitamins wouldn’t replace the iron you donated as quickly as one of the supplements we recommend.

If you’d prefer to use a lower dose iron supplement, speak with your pharmacist.

Iron supplements can interact with some medicines when taken at the same time. The iron may change the effectiveness of your medication, or your medication may affect how your body absorbs the iron.

Your pharmacist can let you know if you need to take your iron supplement at a different time of day to your medicine.

Many supplements already contain iron, including those for pre-pregnancy. Your pharmacist can let you know how much iron, if any, is in your current supplement and help you decide if you need more to help replace what you’ve given during donation.

If you’re taking a pre-pregnancy supplement, you should continue taking it — it also contains folate.

Australian legislation doesn’t allow us to provide iron to donors. Only pharmacies can dispense these supplements.

When you give plasma, your red cells are returned to you. That means you don't give as much iron in your donation, and our research shows that plasma donors usually aren’t at an increased risk of low iron.

We’re recommending iron for all women aged 18-45 regardless of menstrual or pregnancy history. Speak with your doctor if you’re not sure about your iron requirements.

No. For your health and wellbeing, you still need to wait 12 weeks between blood donations. It’s a different story for plasma, though! Learn more about giving plasma.

After donating, your body uses iron to make haemoglobin for new red cells. Your body will absorb the iron it needs from diet, but it can take months to get back to the level it was. A short course of iron supplements can help you maintain healthy iron levels, keeping you feeling your absolute best.

Yes, we recommend that you do. The ferritin testing we did was on blood taken just before your donation, and donating blood can lower your ferritin, so it will generally be lower after your donation than the test results indicate. The course of iron will help you replace the iron you are now using up to replace your haemoglobin and red cells.

It’s really up to you, but it’s important that you consider your own health and wellbeing. Have a think about reducing how often you donate or try giving plasma instead, which has a smaller iron loss and bonus – when it comes to donating, it’s a game-changer.