Earlier studies[22] have shown that Hb criteria for women can be reduced to 11.5 g/dl without serious consequences.
Using this new standard 77% of male and 63% of female donors who were deferred because of low Hb could be retrieved. In the present study, 32.8% of the donors deferred for low Hb could have been recovered if the Hb cut-off value of 12 g/dl was considered.