Gillon et al. [23] have studied female blood donorswith Hb level of 12 - 12.4 at presentation and followed them up for a period of 18 months to assess frequency of donation and to determine the effects of inter-donation interval and iron supplementation outcomes.
They concluded that females with borderline Hb levels proved to be highly committed with good rate of repeat donation. The variation in Hb levels in these donors was found to be independent of iron supplementation and inter-donation interval.
Possible solutions to secure appropriate protection for donors, especially women, include testing iron stores in addition to Hb and Hct values and decreasing allowed frequency of donation to a lower number.
However the standards concerning allowable frequency of donation needs to be reviewed.