Donating blood helps salvage lives, and regular donors can assistance come across vital claret needs.

Several factors — such equally medication, health conditions, and travel — affect how oftentimes people tin donate blood.

This article looks at how frequently a person can donate blood and when they may need to look before donating.

Women at a blood bank discuss how often can you donate blood while waiting to donate. Share on Pinterest
How ofttimes a person tin donate blood varies based on the type of donation they cull.

How regularly a person donates blood will depend on the type of donation they are providing. This is because different components of the claret furnish at different rates.

For example:

  • Whole blood donation: This donation type provides all components of the blood, including red and white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. People can provide this type of donation once every 56 days.
  • Double red jail cell donation: This donation collects two units of red claret cells. Donors tin can give this type of donation every 112 days, up to three times per year.
  • Platelet donation: People can donate platelets every 7 days, upwards to 24 times per year.
  • Plasma donation: People can donate plasma every 28 days, up to 13 times per year.

If a person is taking certain medications, they may accept to expect before they can give certain types of blood donation.

Co-ordinate to the American Red Cross, some medications that affect blood donation include:

  • Aspirin: People may need to await 2 days after the last dose before providing a platelet donation.
  • Antibiotics: People may not be able to requite blood if they are taking antibiotics to treat a bacterial infection. This is to lower the risk of passing it on. People may be able to requite blood on the day of their last dose or 10 days later a terminal antibiotic injection.
  • Bovine insulin: If a person has used bovine insulin since 1980 to treat diabetes, they will not be able to requite blood. This insulin is no longer available in the U.s..
  • Isotretinoin or finasteride: People will need to wait 1 calendar month after the final dose before donating claret.
  • Dutasteride: People will need to wait 6 months after the last dose earlier donating claret.
  • Claret thinners: People volition demand to wait 2–7 days after the last dose before giving blood, depending on the blazon of blood thinner they took.
  • Homo pituitary-derived growth hormone: People taking this will non be able to give blood at whatever time.
  • Thalidomide: People will demand to wait 1 month later taking this medication before giving blood.
  • Mycophenolate mofetil: People will need to wait 6 weeks before they tin donate.
  • Acitretin: People will need to wait iii years before giving blood.
  • Etretinate: People who have this medication will not be able to give blood at any fourth dimension.
  • Leflunomide, teriflunomide,vismodegib, or sonidegib: People volition need to wait 2 years to donate claret after taking any of these drugs.
  • Hepatitis B immune globulin: People will need to wait 12 months after exposure to hepatitis B to donate blood.

People may be able to give whole blood donations while taking certain medications, simply they will demand to await before giving platelet donations. These medications include:

  • ticagrelor
  • prasugrel
  • piroxicam
  • clopidogrel
  • ticlopidine
  • vorapaxar

People may have to wait to give blood if they accept recently had certain vaccinations. These vaccinations include:

  • Zostavax: A person will need to wait four weeks.
  • Measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox vaccines: A person will need to wait 4 weeks.
  • Scarlet measles, polio, and yellow fever vaccines: A person will need to wait 2 weeks.
  • Hepatitis B immunization: A person will need to wait 21 days, as long equally they have no exposure to hepatitis B during that fourth dimension.
  • Smallpox vaccine: A person will demand to wait 8 weeks.

Sure medical conditions bear on if and how frequently people can give blood. This is to minimize the run a risk of passing on an infection to the person receiving the claret and the potential take a chance to the donor.

Medical conditions that can affect blood donation include:

  • Claret clotting disorders: People will not be able to donate, every bit they may experience excessive bleeding.
  • Asthma: People are able to donate if they have no symptoms on the day.
  • Loftier blood pressure: People are able to donate if their systolic blood pressure is beneath 180 and their diastolic pressure is below 100.
  • Low blood pressure: People are able to donate if they feel well and their systolic blood pressure is at to the lowest degree 90 and their diastolic pressure is at to the lowest degree 50.
  • Cancer: People who have had blood cancer are not able to donate. People who have had successful treatment of other cancers tin can donate 12 months afterwards treatment.
  • Heart disease: People will need to look 6 months to donate after experiencing any heart-related issues. Some may not be able to donate at all.
  • Hemochromatosis: People with this condition will non be able to donate blood.
  • Hepatitis or jaundice: People with any symptoms of hepatitis or unexplained jaundice will not be able to give blood.
  • HIV or AIDS: If a person has AIDS, has e'er had a positive HIV test, or is at risk of HIV, they will not be able to donate.
  • Sickle jail cell illness: People with sickle cell trait are able to donate, but those with sickle cell illness will non exist able to.

If a person has had any exposure to hepatitis, they will have to await before giving blood. People who have used intravenous nonprescription drugs are also unable to donate. This is because of the potential hepatitis or HIV take chances.

Certain sexually transmitted infections can too bear upon when people are able to give blood. People who have had handling for syphilis or gonorrhea will need to wait three months after handling before altruistic.

People with chlamydia, venereal warts, or genital herpes are able to donate claret if they are feeling well at the time.

People may also have to await to donate claret if they feel unwell, have a fever, or have any symptoms of an infection.

This includes having a cold with a coughing that produces phlegm or allergies that make information technology difficult to breathe through the mouth.

Pregnant women are besides unable to donate blood and will take to wait 6 weeks after giving birth before doing so.

People will also demand sufficient iron levels to give claret. Earlier giving blood, a person will undergo a test for hemoglobin, which is a protein in the torso that contains iron. Iron is an important mineral, as information technology helps replenish red blood cells after donation.

If a person does non have the required hemoglobin levels, they may have to wait until their iron levels increase before donating.

Tattoos and piercings

If a person has a tattoo or piercing, it may touch when they can donate claret due to the related take a chance of hepatitis.

To be eligible to donate blood with a tattoo, people will need to brand sure that they got their tattoo from a state-regulated tattoo facility.

The tattoo artist needs to have used sterile needles and fresh ink. If a tattoo meets these criteria, the person tin donate claret right afterward they get it.

People with piercings can donate blood as long equally the instruments the piercer used were single-use and disposable. If the piercer used reusable equipment or the person is unsure of what they used, they volition need to wait three months earlier donating blood.

Travel

Traveling to other countries as well affects when a person tin can give blood. If a person has traveled to or lived in a country that has a gamble of malaria, they will have to expect before giving blood.

According to the American Reddish Cross, the fourth dimension frames are as follows:

  • If a person has received treatment for malaria, they volition need to expect 3 years.
  • If a person is returning from a state at hazard of malaria, they will need to expect 3 months.
  • If a person has lived in a country at risk of malaria for over v years, they will need to expect 3 years.
  • If a person has traveled to an at-risk country and has not lived for iii sequent years in a country non at risk of malaria, they will need to await 3 additional years.

If a person has traveled outside of the U.S. or Canada, the staff at the blood eye will review the details to check that they can give blood.

Past donating blood, people tin assistance save lives. However, people demand to exist aware of sure factors that can bear upon how often they can give blood.

Earlier giving claret, a person will need to fill out a class providing certain details, such as their medical history. This ensures that the blood people donate is safe and can effectively assist others.

In some cases, a person may need to await a certain amount of time before they are able to give blood. People will too demand to go out some time between donations, depending on the type of donation they choose.