Donating blood regularly is a noteworthy public service as it helps to save multiple lives. It’s safe to donate blood many times in one year, and organizations use disinfected apparatus for each donor to remove the risk of contracting infections. However, not everyone can be a blood donor. Health conditions keep the potential to affect the eligibility to donate blood, such as dementia or HIV infection.
How often can a person donate blood?
There are numerous ways to donate blood. It is possible to donate the whole blood and components of blood like plasma, red blood cells, and platelets. There are machines to split the blood into the various components and then return the leftovers to the donor body. The main difference among each kind of donation is how often a healthy person can safely do it.
Whole blood donation
It is conceivable to donate whole blood after 56 days or up to 6 times in one year. The main reason for this limited donation is that the human body takes four to eight weeks to replace red blood cells. However, it is possible to donate platelets and plasma more frequently.
Double red cell donation
Double red cell donation collects two units of red blood cells. Donors can give this type of donation after 112 days, up to three times in one year. Donors who are under age 18 can donate red blood cells just two times in one year.
Plasma donation How often can you donate blood
It is possible to donate plasma after every 28 days, up to 13 times in one year.
Platelets donation How often can you donate blood
- A healthy person can donate Platelets up to 24 times in one year. This frequent donation is possible because a healthy human body can replace plasma and platelets faster than red blood cells. However, a more frequent donation can cause anemia, which is where blood will not have enough red blood cells.
- It is mandatory to check the donor’s hemoglobin level before every donation. It helps to clarify that it is high enough for donation. There are certain guidelines about how often and how much individuals can donate blood without compromising their health.
Blood donation after bearing pregnancy
During pregnancy, it is not possible to as a woman needs additional iron during pregnancy. After six months of giving birth, they can safely but up to a certain limit, such as once or twice in one year.
Blood donation in case of medication
If a person is taking certain medications, then he will be temporarily ineligible to donate blood. In addition, after the medication, he has to wait for a certain period for donating blood. However, the frequency of blood donation will depend on the health conditions. He can donate one pint of blood every eight weeks, and a healthy body will take four to eight weeks to replace the number of red blood cells that a person lost as a consequence of donation. However, it completely depends on medications, recent travel history, or certain health conditions.
On the other hand, if a person is involved in multiple blood donations, then his capacity to every year will become lower. After a blood donation, it is essential to hydrate the body, consume iron-rich food, and intake vitamins to maintain health conditions.
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