ne question has plagued the field of blood donation for as long as there have been transfusions: Are we harming blood donors by taking blood from them?Our iron stores are largely self-conserved: Our bodies recycle iron from old red blood cells to make new red blood cells. Iron that’s in use doesn’t tend to exit the body unless a person loses blood, whether through menstruation, bleeding from trauma, illness — or through donation.While a donor’s body will replace the donated blood volume within 24 hours, the process of replacing the red blood cells could take months. For donors who are low...…ne question has plagued the field of blood donation for as long as there have been transfusions: Are we harming blood donors by taking blood from them?Our iron stores are largely self-conserved: Our bodies recycle iron from old red blood cells to make new red blood cells. Iron that’s in use doesn’t tend to exit the body unless a person loses blood, whether through menstruation, bleeding from trauma, illness — or through donation.While a donor’s body will replace the donated blood volume within 24 hours, the process of replacing the red blood cells could take months. For donors who are low...WW…