In hemochromatosis, therapeutic phlebotomy is a procedure that removes blood from a person’s body with the specific goal of reducing iron overload.

Therapeutic phlebotomy involves the same procedure as blood donation; the primary difference is the frequency of how often we give blood. Phlebotomy (aka venesection) may be recommended quite frequently for a person who has just been diagnosed with iron overload, especially if their ferritin levels are greatly elevated.

A physician’s prescription is necessary when the recommendation for phlebotomy is more frequent compared to the typical time frame allowed between a typical blood donation at a community blood services center (which is allowed to be completed only once every 56 days).