Hey guys. So my girlfriend and I frequently give blood (something, by the way, that we believe everyone should have the right to do, gay men included, dammit!)... Anyway, typically when we go, my iron is at very healthy levels... above my girlfriend's, even. Like 137-138ish (The minimum requirement is 125). Anyway, the past few times I've actually been getting turned down due to low iron, which is surprising since my girlfriend's never had an issue and mine has always been higher than hers. The nurses there say that anything below 110 concerns them as that is an indication of anemia...? Anyway, last time I went, it was 108. And I even made a point of going 2 or 3 weeks after my period just to make sure my iron levels were at their peak due to my recent difficulties with it. Does anyone know of the main causes of iron deficiency and if this is something I should worry about? Is it likely that I'm suddenly anemic? Or do I just need to take supplements or something to boost my iron back up? It sucks having to send my girlfriend in to give blood alone every time!
I'm not sure about the numbers because I think the U.S. might use different units. Depending on if the measurement was your stored iron or the iron in your blood, it might be that you've been running out of stored iron for a while, and just now has it started to affect you blood heavily. That's what happened with me. Since I'm a runner, pretty active, sometimes exercise makes you deplete your iron since you need so much of it to make more red blood cells since you're in shape. Sometimes it can be from pounding the ground too hard when you're running, because it can kill RBC when you feet go through the wringer. More often than not though, its probably just not having enough iron in your diet. As a runner, I take iron everyday, wayy more than the daily value. You probably need about 25 mg(?) a day, I take about 50 and I took 90 at my most anemic point. So just a generic iron pill every other day will not hurt you especially since it won't get too high since you donate blood so often and can check on it. My guess would be to take a supplement (or a multivitamin with iron incorporated) and go for the red meat whenever you have a choice. Also, don't take iron with calcium (milk, dairy, etc.) because it is a competitor for absorption. Taking it with OJ for Vitamin C will increase absorption.
