Most people can give blood if they are in good health. There are some basic requirements one need to fulfill in order to become a blood donor. Below are some basic eligibility guidelines:
Age
You are aged between 18 and 65.
- In some countries national legislation permits 16–17 year-olds to donate provided that they fulfil the physical and hematological criteria required and that appropriate consent is obtained.
- In some countries, regular donors over the age of 65 may be accepted at the discretion of the responsible physician. The upper age limit in some countries are 60.
Weight
You weigh at least 50 kg.
- In some countries, donors of whole blood donations should weigh at least 45 kg to donate 350 ml ± 10%.
Health
You must be in good health at the time you donate.
You cannot donate if you have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug or any other infection.
If you have recently had a tattoo or body piercing you cannot donate for 6 months from the date of the procedure. If the body piercing was performed by a registered health professional and any inflammation has settled completely, you can donate blood after 12 hours.
If you have visited the dentist for a minor procedure you must wait 24 hours before donating; for major work wait a month.
You must not donate blood If you do not meet the minimum haemoglobin level for blood donation:
- A test will be administered at the donation site. In many countries, a haemoglobin level of not less than 12.0 g/dl for females and not less than 13.0 g/dl for males as the threshold.
Travel
Travel to areas where mosquito-borne infections are endemic, e.g. malaria, dengue and Zika virus infections, may result in a temporary deferral.
Many countries also implemented the policy to defer blood donors with a history of travel or residence for defined cumulative exposure periods in specified countries or areas, as a measure to reduce the risk of transmitting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) by blood transfusion.
Behaviours
You must not give blood:
- If you engaged in “at risk” sexual activity in the past 12 months
- Individuals with behaviours below will be deferred permanently:
- Have ever had a positive test for HIV (AIDS virus)
- Have ever injected recreational drugs.
In the national blood donor selection guidelines, there are more behavior eligibility criteria. Criteria could be different in different countries.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Following pregnancy, the deferral period should last as many months as the duration of the pregnancy.
It is not advisable to donate blood while breast-feeding. Following childbirth, the deferral period is at least 9 months (as for pregnancy) and until 3 months after your baby is significantly weaned (i.e. getting most of his/her nutrition from solids or bottle feeding).
More information on eligibility to donate
National eligibility guidelines must be followed when people donate blood in the blood service in specific countries. To find out whether any health conditions, medications, professions or travel history to could affect your ability to give blood, please search for detailed information in the national/local blood services.
Donations of blood, platelets and plasma are simple and easy ways to make an immeasurable impact to other people’s lives.
They are, however, still a marvel of modern medicine and it’s common for donors to have questions about the process.
Thankfully, the experts in our clinical support team are on hand with the answers…
Why do I have to wait after having a tattoo before I can donate?
You have to wait for four months after having a tattoo before you can give blood. This includes semi-permanent make-up and microblading and the wait is the same for body piercings and acupuncture.
This rule is in place to preserve the safety of patients who receive donated blood. Although most tattoo and piercing practices are safe, the introduction of a foreign object to your body carries a risk of blood-borne illness. A four-month deferral period allows us to be certain that patients receiving donated blood are free of that same risk.
How long after giving blood do I need to wait before I can receive a vaccination?
You don’t have to wait at all. It is your decision and people have received vaccinations, including COVID-19 vaccinations, on the same day as giving blood. We do not have any concerns about you doing this and there is no reason to believe giving blood would affect the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccination, but if you are worried about it then please rebook your donation appointment.
We do not advise that you postpone getting the vaccine in order to give blood.
Please wait 48 hours after receiving a vaccination before you donate, providing you are well and recovered to any reaction to the vaccine.