The NHANES-III survey found hemoglobin concentrations to be >13.5 g/dL and >12.0 g/dL in Caucasian males and females. In the United States, hemoglobin >12.5 g/dL is required for blood donation, which allows "anemic" males to donate blood while excluding "normal" females. Low hemoglobin is the major cause of deferral in donors and deferrals are associated with decreased donor return rates. Additionally, frequent blood donations are associated with depletion of body iron stores. This session will review the higher hemoglobin cutoffs and inter-donation intervals in developed countries. Analysis of the effect of frequent blood donations on body iron stores will be reviewed. Analysis of the effect of various hemoglobin cutoffs and interdonation intervals on an individual center's blood supply will be presented.