Can I Donate Blood? Blood Donor Eligibility Requirements - GoodRx (2024)

Have you ever considered donating blood? Maybe you have, but you’re worried you won't be eligible. After all, a quick online search seems to turn up pages of reasons why you may not be able to donate. Should you just assume you won’t qualify to donate and throw in the towel?

Such rigid regulation around blood donation may seem like a hassle, but it’s key to making sure that donated blood is safe for those receiving it. If you’re eligible to donate blood — 38% of Americans are eligible — you’ll be able to make a lifesaving gift to a fellow human in need.

Most people donate whole blood, but you can also donate specific parts of your blood, like platelets (the cell fragments that cause clotting) or plasma (the liquid that contains antibodies and clotting factors). In this article, we’ll focus on whole-blood donation, cover who can and can’t donate, and what to expect if you choose to donate blood.

Who can donate blood?

According to the American Red Cross, you can donate blood under the following circ*mstances:

• You are not feeling sick and are in good health.

• You are 17 years of age. In some states, you can donate blood if you are 16 years old and have parental consent.

• You weigh at least 110 pounds.

• You have not donated blood in the past 56 days.

You can also donate blood if you have:

• Asthma, as long as it’s well treated, with no current shortness of breath

• Diabetes, as long as it’s well treated with diet and/or medications

• Heart disease, as long as you have not had a change in your heart condition for 3 months

• Tattoos and piercings, if 3 months have passed since you got them

Who cannot donate blood?

There are certain health conditions, life circ*mstances, and travel experiences that mean you cannot donate blood. We’ll run through those here.

General health issues that won’t allow people to donate blood

You can’t donate blood if any of these general health issues apply to you:

• Fever (above 99.5°F) or an acute infection at the time of donation, or feel unwell, have a cold, flu, or trouble breathing

• Pregnancy

• High blood pressure reading (top number above 180, or bottom number above 100)

• Low blood pressure reading (top number below 90, or bottom number below 50)

• Cancer of the blood (leukemia or lymphoma) or sickle cell disease

• A history of a tissue or organ transplant of living animal tissue or a dura matter (brain covering) transplant

• Hemochromatosis

• AIDS, a positive HIV test, or treatment for HIV at any time

• Symptoms like persistent fevers, night sweats, or cough

• Recent exposure to or a history of hepatitis B or C, malaria, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, babesiosis, Chagas disease, Ebola, or Zika

• Active tuberculosis

• Diagnosis of or treatment for syphilis or gonorrhea in the past 3 months

• Blood transfusion in the past 3 months

Life circ*mstances that mean you can’t donate blood

You can’t donate blood if:

• You’ve had sex with a new partner or more than one partner in the last 3 months and you’ve also had anal sex in the last 3 months.

• You’ve been incarcerated for more than 72 consecutive hours during the previous 12 months.

• You have a history of injection drug use, or needle use to take any drugs that were not prescribed by your healthcare provider in the last 3 months.

• You have taken or given money or other payment for sex in the last 3 months.

You also won’t be able to donate blood if you have had sex with:

• A person who’s tested positive or been treated for HIV in the last 3 months

• A person who’s taken or given money or other payment for sex in the last 3 months

• A person who’s used a drug intravenously (through an IV) in the last 3 months

You may not be able to donate blood if you’ve had a tattoo or body piercing in the last 3 months. It depends on how and where this was done.

Travel experiences that mean you can’t donate blood

If you have traveled to a country with a high risk of malaria within the past 3 months, you can’t donate blood.

You can review the American Red Cross eligibility criteria for more information.

Which medications will prevent you from donating blood?

Most over-the-counter (OTC) medications will not prevent you from donating blood. If you take prescription medications, check out this list from the American Red Cross to see if you can still donate blood.

You cannot donate blood if you take the following medications:

• Blood thinners

• Acne and psoriasis medications

• Prostate and hair loss medications

• Oral prevention medication for HIV (PrEP or PEP) in the last 3 months

• HIV prevention medication by injection (PrEP or PEP) in the last 2 years

You can donate blood if you take the following medications:

• Aspirin

• Oral contraceptives

• Blood pressure medications

• Insulin

Never stop medications prescribed by your healthcare provider in order to donate blood. It’s always a good idea to keep your healthcare team in the loop if you are planning to donate blood.

Can you donate blood if you received the COVID-19 vaccine?

In short, yes. If you got the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA based) or Johnson and Johnson’s COVID shot (inactivated virus), you can donate blood. If you received another kind of COVID vaccine, or were vaccinated outside of the U.S., ask the donor site if you still qualify.

What is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and why does it matter for blood donors?

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is an infectious brain disease that can pass from animals to humans. The equivalent illness in cows is called “mad cow disease.” vCJD can rarely be passed through blood transfusions. Since there is no test for vCJD, there are certain restrictions around who can donate blood in order to prevent possible transmission.

These include:

• If you were in the UK for three months or more between January 1, 1980 through December 31, 1996

• If you spent 5 years or more in France or Ireland from January 1, 1980 through December 31, 2001

• If you had blood transfusion in the UK, France, or Ireland from January 1, 1980 to present

Take a look at the full details about vCJD and blood donation from the American Red Cross.

How do you prepare to donate blood?

First, go online and find a drive. You will enter your location, and a list of donation locations will appear. You will be able to choose a time slot, and make an appointment to donate blood online.

Some tips for getting ready to give blood include:

• Get a good night’s sleep.

• Eat healthy, well-balanced meals as much as possible.

• Drink more water (16 oz) the morning of your blood donation.

• Take your medications as usual (if you take any), including your blood pressure medications.

• Make sure you have a government-issued ID (driver’s license, passport).

• Know your travel history. If you have traveled outside the U.S. in the past 3 years, you can fill out a travel form ahead of time and bring it with you to your appointment.

What to expect when donating blood

When you get to the donation location, you will need to:

• Give your name and address, and show a government-issued ID.

• Fill out a questionnaire that asks you about your general health and travel history.

• Have your blood pressure, pulse, and temperature measured. Remember, you can’t donate blood if you have a fever or an abnormal pulse or blood pressure reading.

• Have your hemoglobin measured. This is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. Your finger will be pricked with a sterile needle and your hemoglobin will be measured. If your hemoglobin is too low, you won’t be able to donate blood.

If you meet the criteria, you’re ready to donate blood! Here are the basic steps:

• A site on your arm is cleaned with an alcohol pad.

• A sterile needle is placed into your arm vein. This will feel like a quick pinch.

• You will sit and relax while a pint of your blood collects in a bag. This takes about 8 to 10 minutes.

• When your donation is complete, the needle is removed from your arm and is bandaged.

• You will rest for about 10 to 15 minutes while you enjoy a refreshment. This lets your body adjust to the slightly lower blood volume.

• You can expect your donation to take about 1 hour.

What happens after blood donation?

Your blood donation will be taken to a laboratory and will be tested for several things — the first is blood type. The different blood types are: A, B, AB, and O. All blood types are eligible for blood donation.

Your blood will also be tested for any potential infections, such as:

• Hepatitis B

• Hepatitis C

• HIV (1 and 2)

• HTLV (human T-lymphotropic virus types 1 and 2)

• Syphilis

• West Nile virus

• Zika virus

• Chagas disease

The donation center will contact you if your blood is positive to any of these diseases. Your blood will not be used for donation.