Blood Donor Guidelines

GENERAL GUIDELINES:

• Must be 17 years of age. There is no upper age limit.
• Must be in good general health and meet all blood donor guidelines.
• Must weigh a minimum of 110 pounds.
• Minimum Hemoglobin Requirements:   12.5 g/dL for Females & 13.0 g/dl for Males
• Pulse must fall between 50-100 beats per minute with no irregularities. 

Note: If donor is an athlete with high exercise tolerance, a lower rate may be acceptable if approved by the TRBC Medical Director.

• Temperature must not exceed 99.5 F.
• Blood Pressure must fall between 90-180 Systolic and 50-100 Diastolic.

Please review the donor education materials

Donor Educational Materials - English                   Donor Educational Materials - Español

 

MEDICATIONS, SHOTS OR VACCINATIONS:

• Must not currently be taking an Antibiotic or any medication for treatment of an infection.
• Must not currently be taking any medications on the MEDICATION DEFERRAL LIST in the specified time frames.   Click on the links below to see MEDICATION DEFERRAL LIST.

Medication Deferral List - English                    Medication Deferral List - Español

• It is acceptable to donate if you have taken anything containing ASPIRIN within the past 48 hours. 

(Note: Please let your phlebotomist know if you have taken anything containing ASPIRIN within the past 48 hours as platelet products cannot be created from your donation. )

• Must not have has any of the following shots or vaccinations in the timeframes listed below:
  • Testosterone:   Testosterone Injections do not have a deferral period. However, individuals may not be able to donate for the following reasons: These individuals must be converted to a Therapeutic Blood Donor and will require a prescription from their doctors.
    • Experiencing a significant increase in their hemoglobin levels, resulting from TRT
    • and need to donate more frequently than every 8 weeks to maintain a normal hemoglobin level.
    • Have a Hemoglobin ≥ 20g/dl.
    • Have been instructed by their physician to donate blood as a medical treatment for secondary polycythemia.
  • In the past 2 weeks if you have received any of the following you are deferred for 2 weeks from the last dose: Attenuvax, Engerix-B, Hepatitis B Vaccine, Heptavax, Measles, Mumps, Mumpsvax, Orimune, Polio Vaccine - Oral, Poliovirus Vaccine-Oral, Recombivax HB, Typhoid Vaccine – Oral, or Yellow Fever (YF) Vaccine.  
  • In the past 3 weeks if you have received any of the following you are deferred for 3 weeks from the last dose:  Monkeypox Vaccine or Jynneos Monkeypox Vaccine.
  • In the past 4 weeks if you have received any of the following you are deferred for 4 weeks from the last dose:  BCG (vaccine for TB), Chicken Pox (Varicella) Vaccine, German Mesals Vaccine, Herpes Zoster Vaccine, MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) Vaccine, Meruvax II, Rubella Vaccine, TB Vaccine, or Varivax.
  • In the past 8 weeks if you have received any of the following you are deferred for 8 weeks from the last dose:  Smallpox Vaccine without complications (Note: If you experience complications to the Smallpox Vaccine then you will be deferred an additional 14 days from complication resolution.)
  • In the past 12 Months if you have received any of the following you are deferred for 12 Months from the last dose:  Rabies Vaccine, or any Unlicensed/Research Vaccines.
  • In the past 2 years if you have received any of the following you are deferred for 2 years from the last dose:  Apretude-Injectable HIV Prevention, Cabotegravir, Positive Skin/Blood test for TB,

 

 

WITHIN THE PAST 3 MONTHS:

• Must not have had a blood transfusion within the past 3 months.
• Must not have had an organ, tissue or bone marrow transplant within the past 3 months. 
• Must not have had a graft such as bone or skin within the past 3 months.
• Must not have had mucous membrane (broken skin, eye, mouth, etc.) contact with someone else’s blood in the past 3 months.
• Must not have had an accidental needle-stick where you were exposed to someone else’s blood in the past 3 months.
• Must not have received money, drugs or payment for sex in the past 3 months.
• Must not have used needles to take drugs, steroids or anything NOT prescribed by your doctor in the past 3 months.
• Must not have had sexual contact with anyone who has EVER had HIV/AIDS or has EVER had a positive test for the HIV/AIDS virus within the past 3 months.
• Must not have had sexual contact with a  prostitute or anyone else who has ever taken money, drugs or other payment for sex within the past 3 months.
• Must not have had sexual contact with anyone who has ever used needles to take drugs, steroids or anything NOT prescribed by their doctor in the past 3 months.
• Must not have taken ANY medication by mouth to prevent an HIV infection in the past 3 months.
• Must not have received a tattoo from outside of the USA or from the following US states or US territories within the past 3 months.

States: Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington D.C.  

US Territories: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau or the US Virgin Islands.

• If you have received a Tattoo in the past 3 months from a US State not listed above, it must have been performed at a regulated, state licensed facility or you may not donate for 3 months from the date of tattoo.
• Must not have had an ear or body piercing in the past 3 months without using a single-use device.
• Must not have been treated for syphilis or gonorrhea within the past 3 months.
• Must not have traveled to an at-risk area for malaria for more than a 24-hour period within the past 3 months.  

(Note:  Please be prepared to provide any dates and locations of travel outside of the US or Canada within the past 3 years.  You may contact our office if you would like to determine if a travel location is currently considered an at-risk area prior to attempting to donate.)

 

WITHIN THE PAST 12 MONTHS:

• Must not have had sexual contact with a person who has Hepatitis B or C in the past 12 months.
• Must not have lived with a person who has had Hepatitis B or C in the past 12 months.
• Must not have been in juvenile detention, lockup, jail or prison for 72 hours or more consecutively in the past 12 months. 

 

WITHIN THE PAST 2 YEARS:

• Must not have received an injection or shot to prevent an HIV infection in the past 2 years.

 

WITHIN THE PAST 3 YEARS:

• Must not have had a history of Malaria in the past 3 years.

 

MUST NOT HAVE EVER:

• Must not have EVER had a positive test for the HIV/Aids Virus.
• Must not have EVER taken any medication to treat an HIV infection.
• Must not have EVER had a positive test result for Babesia.
• Must not have EVER received a dura matter (brain covering) graft from another person or received a xenotransplantation product (non-human animal cells, tissues or organs) that has not been processed and sterilized. 

(Note: Pig heart valves and other animal tissues that are processed and sterilized do not fall in the xenotransplant category.)

 

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR FEMALE DONORS:

• Must not currently be pregnant or pregnant in the past 6 weeks.

(Note:Please let your phlebotomist know if you have been pregnant since your last donation as certain PLASMA and PLATELET Products cannot be created from your donation unless additional HLA testing is performed.)

• In the past 3 months you must not have had sexual contact with a male who has had sexual contact with another male in the past 3 months.

 

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR MALE DONORS:

• Must not have has sexual contact with another male in the past 3 months.

 

BLOOD DONORS WITH A HISTORY OF HEART OR LUNG PROBLEMS:

• Some heart and lung problems do not result in any deferral, while others may result in a temporary or a permanent deferral period. Blood Donors who have a history of heart or lung problems may contact the blood center to determine if a deferral period exists for your condition. 

 

BLOOD DONORS WITH A HISTORY OF CANCER:

• The following Cancer’s are a permanent deferral from donating:  Leukemia, Lymphoma, Bone Marrow Transplant, Breast Cancer with a lymph node dissection on both sides, Burkitt’s Lymphoma, Hematologic Cancer, Hematopoietic Cancer, Hodgkin’s Disease, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Kaposi’s Sarcoma, Macroglobulinemia, Monoclonal Gammopathy, Multiple Myeloma, Myelodysplasia, Myelodysplastic Syndrome, Waldenstrom’s Disease or Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia.
• Basal Cell Cancer, Cervical Cancer in Situ or any other Cancer in Situ has no deferral period once it has been removed and has healed completely.
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Skin has a 1 week deferral period after it has been removed and has healed completely.
• All other Cancer’s not listed above (including Breast Cancer, Malignant Melanoma and Sarcoma) will have a 1 year deferral period from the completion of treatment once cured. 

(Note: You may contact our office if you have any questions about the deferral period for a specific type of Cancer not listed above.)

 

RECENTLY REMOVED DEFERRALS:

Donors who were previously deferred for the following reasons are no longer deferred per current standards and may contact the blood center to request re-entry as a blood donor.   This process will require approval by our Medical Director.

• Donors previously deferred for viral hepatitis other than Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.
• Donors who spent a total of 3 months or more cumulatively in the United Kingdom countries of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Whales, the Isle of Man, The Channel Islands, Gibraltar or the Frankland Islands from 1980-1996.
• Donors who spent time that adds up to 5 years or more in France or Ireland from 1980-2001.  Time spent in Ireland does not include time spent in Northern Ireland which is a part of the United Kingdom.
• Donors who received a blood transfusion in France, Ireland, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Whales, the Isle of Man, The Channel Islands, Gibraltar or the Frankland Islands from 1980 to the present.