Giving Blood: Do You Know When You Should Sit It Out?
Donating blood has turned into a countrywide effort supported by businesses, churches and worship centers, college campuses, nonprofit groups and government agencies. From helping with natural disasters and widespread emergencies to saving individuals’ lives after car accidents or as they suffer from specific health conditions, donated blood is a significant life-giving cycle that keeps us all connected and healthy. But no matter how much it’s needed or how excited you are to do your part, there are some circumstances when giving blood is dangerous and can hurt either you or the person who will eventually receive blood. Do you know when you should sit out the next donation drive?
The basic eligibility requirements for U.S. blood drives state that you can’t give blood more than once every 56 days, although donating platelets can be done every three days, and donating two units of red blood cells means that you will have to wait 112 days before your next donation. Most states also require that you are 17 years of age, and that you weigh at least 110 lbs. This requirement is for your own safety and will help you recover from the donation process more quickly and without complications.
If you’re surprised to see the blood donation bus at your work or school one day and you meet the general requirements, you should still consider a few factors. Did you eat a good breakfast or lunch that day? Are you taking antibiotics or still have symptoms of an infection? Hepatitis B immune injections require you to wait one year since your last dose, and other medicines and treatments also require you to wait a certain amount of time before giving blood.
More eligibility questions:
- Have you used a needle for non-prescription drugs?
- Have you been at risk for HIV?
- Traveled to a malarial area in the past 12 months?
- Are you pregnant?
- Had a tattoo in the last 12 months? (Some centers have a lower waiting period for tattoos)
Download the FastTrack form from the United Blood Services website to see a complete list.
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 9:57 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
