{"id":6259,"date":"2022-02-11T14:30:29","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T14:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/medicine\/how-often-can-you-donate-blood-all-you-need-to-know\/"},"modified":"2022-02-11T14:30:29","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T14:30:29","slug":"how-often-can-you-donate-blood-all-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/medicine\/how-often-can-you-donate-blood-all-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"How often can you donate blood?  All you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\">\n<p>Donating blood saves lives.  It is necessary to donate blood to be able to renew the reserves we have of it and to have a good store to cover any emergency or surgery.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The normal period established to be able to give blood again is every two months<\/strong>, the frequency being higher in men than in women;  men 5 times a year and women, 4. This fact is due to the greater loss of iron that women have during menstruation.  Note that if we want to donate platelets, the frequency can be higher, giving up to 24 times in a year.<\/p>\n<p>However, the period established as normal may vary according to different factors of the subject such as: if she has recently given birth, if she has had a tattoo, if she has been vaccinated, if she has received general anesthesia, if she has been treated for anemia, if you have recently taken antibiotics, if you have had infectious mononucleosis or any other infectious disease.<\/p>\n<p>If you still hesitate to be a blood donor, if you do not know exactly what this process consists of or <strong>you want to know when we can donate blood<\/strong>all these questions and more will be resolved in this article.<\/p>\n<h2>The need to donate blood<\/h2>\n<p>Donating blood is a necessity for society, that is, <strong>it is essential that individuals who can donate do so in order to cover emergencies and operations<\/strong>.  There are several reasons why we should donate blood and if it can be done regularly, these are: we cannot obtain blood in any other way, this means that we cannot manufacture blood, it has to be obtained directly from people ;  As we have said, it is essential in emergencies and to maintain the health of the population and it has an expiration date, therefore, we must renew it periodically.<\/p>\n<p>Blood is made up of different components, three of which are separated and used in donations: red blood cell concentrates that transport oxygen, plasma, which is the one that contains coagulation factors, white blood cells, which are part of the immune system and the platelets responsible for initiating the coagulation process.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, another fact that makes it important to give the maximum number of people is that we do not all have the same blood group. <strong>There are four groups: A, B, AB and 0<\/strong>dividing these categories in turn depending on whether or not it has the Rh factor, which is a type of protein that binds to the red blood cell membrane, so if it is present we will speak of Rh positive and if it is not, Rh negative.<\/p>\n<p>This distinction is due to the fact that not everyone will be the same and therefore we will not be able to receive blood from any person.  Thus, each group will be able to receive blood from itself and from group 0, except group AB, which apart from the previous condition, will also be able to receive from A and B. On the other hand, in reference to Rh, those that are positive, that is, have protein, they can receive from both positive and negative, whereas negatives can only receive from Rh without protein.<\/p>\n<p>So we can talk about a universal recipient, which means that they can receive from any blood group, these are people with a positive AB group and universal donors who can give blood to everyone, which are the 0 negative.  Paradoxically, <strong>universal recipients can only give blood to the same blood group and universal donors can only receive blood from the same blood group and Rh<\/strong>.  For this reason it is essential that we donate, because in the case of negative 0 they need to have reservations because they are so exclusive.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><picture>\n    <span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;max-width:100%\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;max-width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display:block;max-width:100%;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3csvg%20xmlns=%27http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%27%20version=%271.1%27%20width=%272000%27%20height=%271892%27\/%3e\"\/><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"donate blood\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"intrinsic\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"donate blood\" src=\"https:\/\/medicoplus.com\/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fplustatic.com%2F7116%2Fdonar-sangre.jpg&amp;w=1280&amp;q=75 1x\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"intrinsic\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/p>\n<\/picture><figcaption>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>How often can I donate blood?<\/h2>\n<p>As we have mentioned, just donating blood once is not enough, since blood is continually needed for other people and apart from that, as we have said, it expires.  In this way, we must donate blood more than once a year, it is estimated about 3 or 4 times depending on the sex, that is, <strong>the minimum interval to be able to donate again is 2 months<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This range of 3 to 4 times that varies according to sex is due to the loss of iron that women have each month during menstruation.  When we give blood, our iron decreases, therefore, and taking into account menstruation, to equate the loss at the end of each year between men and women if they donate blood, it will be necessary for women to give less times, specifically one less time.<\/p>\n<p>We have between 4.5 and 6 liters of blood, varying according to age, sex, weight and height, of this amount we only donate 10%, which would be about 450 milliliters.  We know that blood regenerates itself, taking between 4 to 8 weeks to recover the amount of red blood cells lost in the donation.  The duration of this recovery process will then depend on the type of food we eat after donating, so if our diet is rich in iron, such as spinach, legumes, or red meat, and we take iron tablets, the regeneration time will be shorter. .<\/p>\n<p>The relationship between weight and liters of blood must also be taken into account to know whether or not we can be donors, since a minimum weight of 50 kg is needed to do so.  We already pointed out that we take advantage of different components of the blood, so, <strong>in the case of wanting to donate platelets we can do it more frequently, every two weeks<\/strong> which represents a period of 24 times a year.  The way to proceed to donate platelets is as follows: blood is extracted from one arm, it is centrifuged and the platelets are separated, injecting the rest of the blood again into the donor through the other arm.<\/p>\n<h3>Other variables that influence the frequency of donating blood<\/h3>\n<p>As we have said, the normal frequency to be able to donate blood is every 2 months, although <strong>This period can be modified according to variables of the donor subject, such as<\/strong>: I recently gave birth, we must allow at least 6 months to pass;  I have been operated on and received general anesthesia, it will be necessary to wait 4 months;  I have gotten a tattoo, a minimum of 4 months must have elapsed since I got it done;  If I have had anemia but have been treated with oral medication, I will allow 2 months to pass before giving blood again or I have had infectious mononucleosis, a minimum of 6 months must pass since the cure.<\/p>\n<p>There are other variables that influence and may even mean that you cannot donate blood: you will have to wait 4 months after an endoscopy;  Wait 15 days if you have had a fever, if you have recently taken an antibiotic, it will be at the doctor's discretion, or you cannot drink alcohol for 48 hours beforehand.  Now, you will not be able to give blood if: you are not older than 18 or older than 65, you are pregnant, breastfeeding, if you are sick with hepatitis B or C or HIV, if you are type 1 diabetic, that is, insulin dependent, if you are epileptic and are receiving treatment for this pathology or if you suffer from a serious illness, this assessment will also be made by the doctor.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><picture>\n    <span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;max-width:100%\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;max-width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display:block;max-width:100%;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3csvg%20xmlns=%27http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%27%20version=%271.1%27%20width=%271600%27%20height=%27900%27\/%3e\"\/><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"frequency-donate-blood\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"intrinsic\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"frequency-donate-blood\" src=\"https:\/\/medicoplus.com\/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fplustatic.com%2F7117%2Ffrecuencia-donar-sangre.jpg&amp;w=1280&amp;q=75 1x\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"intrinsic\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/p>\n<\/picture><figcaption>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Shelf life of blood<\/h2>\n<p>Blood has an expiration date, depending on which of the three components we want to store.  So that, <strong>packed red blood cells are stored at a temperature of 4\u00baC for a maximum of 42 days<\/strong>, since after this period its quality decreases;  plasma is first frozen at -86\u00baC and then can be stored at -30\u00baC for three years;  Finally, the platelets are stored at a temperature of 22\u00baC with a maximum time of 5 to 7 days.  We see, therefore, how the short duration of platelet storage is compensated by the possibility of donating this component more frequently.<\/p>\n<h2>Why is it important to donate blood?<\/h2>\n<p>Compiling the information we have given, there are many reasons why it is necessary for us to become blood donors.  As we already pointed out, blood has an expiration date, each component has different durability and it will be essential that the stored blood is renewed.  Another issue is the variability of blood groups that will make it necessary to have more varied blood reserves that can cover the whole world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If we take into account more personal reasons, we can assess the need to receive a blood transfusion ourselves or one of our relatives.<\/strong>.  In addition, all the blood that is donated is analyzed, in this way you will also receive a report on the state of your blood and if you have any type of infectious disease or alteration that can be detected.<\/p>\n<p>But the most important reason is that with this altruistic action, which lasts just over ten minutes, you can save lives.  In emergency situations we must act quickly since blood loss can occur rapidly, if between 1.8 to 2 liters are lost there is a serious risk of death and with the loss of 3 liters, being approximately half of the body's blood, this is already deadly.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><picture>\n    <span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;max-width:100%\"><span style=\"box-sizing:border-box;display:block;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;max-width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display:block;max-width:100%;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3csvg%20xmlns=%27http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%27%20version=%271.1%27%20width=%271920%27%20height=%271280%27\/%3e\"\/><\/span><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"importance-donate-blood\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"intrinsic\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"importance-donate-blood\" src=\"https:\/\/medicoplus.com\/_next\/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fplustatic.com%2F7118%2Fimportancia-donar-sangre.jpeg&amp;w=1280&amp;q=75 1x\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"intrinsic\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/noscript><\/span><\/p>\n<\/picture><figcaption>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-center kksr-valign-bottom\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;center&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;6259&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Rate this post&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;0\\\/5 - (0 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;How often can you donate blood?  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It is necessary to donate blood to be&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medicine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enorcerna.com\/wiki\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}