Blood Donor Requirements

Please Note: This list of Blood Donor Requirements is not complete. Medical professionals are available at each of our Community Blood Centers and bloodmobiles who will discuss and evaluate each donor's health history and activities in a confidential setting prior to blood donation. The final determination of eligibility is made at that time. Certain donor eligibility criteria are specified by the Food and Drug Administration, State of California and the American Association of Blood Banks.

The remaining criteria is determined by the Medical Director of the San Diego Blood Bank and may differ among the types of donations and with the criteria from other blood centers. Donor eligibility criteria is intended to protect the health and safety of the donor and the patient who will receive the transfusion.

The guidelines listed below are to assist you in determining whether you are eligible. Some health conditions or medications may temporarily or permanently prevent some individuals from donating blood. If you have a question regarding your eligibility to donate blood, please call any of our Community Blood Centers at 1-800-4MY-SDBB (1-800-469-7322) or email your question to a Center nurse.

Make sure to review our Before You Donate web page.

Please note the effective date listed on these blood donor requirements. Because requirements change from time to time, it is important to check this Web site before each blood donation. The guidelines listed below were last revised on December 1, 2006. The most recent requirement changes/additions are highlighted in red.

• Basic Requirements
• Donation Frequency
• DO NOT DONATE BLOOD IF YOU...
• Medical Conditions
• Other Possible Restrictions
• Medications
• Immunizations
• Travel Restrictions
• Other Travel Restrictions

• Be in generally good health and feeling well
• Weigh at least 110 pounds
• Be 17 years of age-there is no upper limit
• There may be additional requirements for some automated donations

• Whole blood donors may donate every 56 days
• Platelet donors may donate every 48 hours (donors are scheduled every two weeks)
• Plasma donors may donate every 4 weeks
• Double red cell apheresis donors may donate every 112 days

Why we ask questions about sexual contact:
Sexual contact may cause contagious diseases like HIV to get into the bloodstream and be spread through transfusions to someone else.

Definition of "sexual contact":
The words "have sexual contact with" and "sex" are used in some of the questions we will ask you, and apply to any of the activities below, whether or not a condom or other protection was used.

Because different people have different definitions of "sexual contact," the FDA recommends the following clarification:

• Vaginal sex (contact between penis and vagina)
• Oral sex (mouth or tongue on someone's vagina, penis or anus)
• Anal sex (contact between penis and anus)

• Have AIDS or have ever had a positive HIV test
• Have ever used needles to take drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor
• Are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977
• Have ever taken money, drugs, or other payment for sex since 1977
• Have hemophilia or another blood clotting disorder and received clotting factor concentrate
• Have had sexual contact in the past 12 months with anyone described above
• Have had syphilis or gonorrhea in the past 12 months
• In the last 12 months, have been in juvenile detention, lockup, jail, or prison for more than 72 hours
• Were born in, lived in or received blood products while in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger or Nigeria since 1977
• Have had sexual contact with anyone who was born in, lived in or received blood products while in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger or Nigeria after 1977
• Have received a blood transfusion in the United Kingdom from 1980 to the present
• Have any of the following conditions that can be signs or symptoms of HIV/AIDS:
  • Unexplained weight loss or night sweats
  • Blue or purple spots in your mouth or skin
  • Swollen lymph nodes for more than one month
  • White spots or unusual sores in your mouth
  • Cough that won't go away or shortness of breath
  • Diarrhea that won't go away
  • Fever of more than 100.5° F for more than 10 days

Remember that you CAN give HIV to someone else through blood transfusions even if you feel well and have a negative HIV test. This is because tests cannot detect infections for a period of time after a person is exposed to HIV.

• Allergies - can donate if no infection present
• Arthritis - can donate if no redness, pain or swelling of joint(s) at the time of donation
• Asthma - can donate if no symptoms
• Blood disorders or bleeding tendencies - cannot donate
• Brain or spinal surgery that required a transplant of brain covering (dura mater) - cannot donate
• CJD: a blood relative diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) - cannot donate
• Cancer
  • Basal cell, squamous cell skin cancers - can donate if diagnosis known before, or after removal
  • Melanoma - 1 year wait after last treatment and considered resolved
  • Other carcinomas (breast, lung, prostate, colon, bladder, etc) - 1 year wait after last treatment and considered resolved
  • Blood related cancers such as Lymphoma, Leukemia, Myeloma - permanent deferral
• Colds, fever, flu
  • Cold, flu, sore throat, cough, respiratory infection - can donate if no symptoms
• Cold Sore
  • Cold sore, fever blister, canker sore - can donate if lesion gone
• Colitis (Ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel, etc) - can donate if feels healthy and well
• Diabetes - can donate if stable
• Heart Attack - can donate after one year if no symptoms
• Heart Surgery - Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG); Angioplasty; Stents - 6 month wait and no heart symptoms
• Hemochromatosis - cannot donate
• Hepatitis
  • Hepatitis or undiagnosed jaundice after age 10 - cannot donate
  • Hepatitis at age 10 or younger - can donate if no known positive confirmed test results for Hepatitis B surface antigen, or known Hepatitis C
  • Positive hepatitis test - cannot donate
  • Hepatitis or jaundice with mononucleosis, CMV or EBV - cannot donate
• Herpes (genital) - can donate after lesions clear
• Major/minor surgery - can donate after healed and reason permits
• Pregnant/Abortion/Miscarriage - cannot donate for 6 weeks after delivery, abortion or miscarriage
• Strokes - can donate after 1 year
• Thyroid conditions - can donate if healthy and well

• Body/ear piercing/acupuncture - can donate if done with a sterile, single use needle/equipment or with a piercing gun using single use studs, otherwise a one year wait
• Dental work
  • Routine work (teeth cleaning, scaling, tooth filled) - wait until next day
  • Root canal/tooth extraction - 3 day wait
• Hepatitis exposure - needs evaluation
• Tattoo - can donate after 1 year

• Acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol) - can donate for any blood donation
• Accutane - can donate 4 weeks after last dose
• Allergy medication - can donate
• Amnesteen - can donate 4 weeks after last dose
• Antibiotics - can donate 24 hours after last dose if no symptoms of infection; no wait if taken for prevention
• Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Advil, Ibuprofen, Motrin and Naprosyn - can donate for any blood donation
• Aspirin and aspirin containing products - can donate / platelet donors must wait 48 hours after last dose
• Avodart - can donate 6 months after last dose
• Claravis - can donate 4 weeks after last dose
• Blood pressure medication - can donate if blood pressure stable
• Depression medication - can donate
• Diuretics - can donate
• Diabetic medication
  • Oral or insulin - can donate if condition is stable
  • Ever injected bovine (beef) insulin - cannot donate
• Diet pills - can donate
• Birth control pills - can donate
• Female hormone pills - can donate
• Plavix - Platelet donors only: 5 day wait after last dose
• Propecia - 4 week wait after last dose
• Proscar - 4 week wait after last dose
• Soriatane (Acitretin) - can donate 3 years after last dose
• Sotret - can donate 4 weeks after last dose
• Steroids - can donate 2 weeks after last dose and no symptoms
• Tegison - cannot donate if ever taken
• Thyroid medication - can donate if stabilized
• Ticlid - Platelet donors only: 14 day wait after last dose

• Flu vaccine - can donate
• FluMist - can donate
• Hepatitis A vaccine - can donate, if given for prevention
• Hepatitis B vaccine - can donate, if given for prevention
• MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) - can donate after 4 weeks
• Pneumococcal vaccine - can donate
• Rubella/Rubeola vaccine - can donate after 4 weeks
• Smallpox vaccination - can donate after 2 months (56 days) and no vaccinia infection
• Tetanus toxoid - can donate

• Malaria Areas
  • Travel/Visit (less than 5 years) to an area where malaria is prevalent - can donate 1 year after leaving area
  • Lived in (5 consecutive years or more.) an area where malaria is prevalent - can donate 3 years after leaving area
• Mexico, Malaria areas - can donate 1 year after leaving the following areas
  • Resorts:
    • Acapulco (outside of city only)
    • Cancun (outside of city only)
    • Huatulco
    • Ixtapa
    • Mazatlan (outside of city only)
    • Nuevo Vallarta
    • Playa del Carmen
    • Puerto Vallarta (outside of city only)
    • Zihuatanejo
  • States: (rural areas of the following)
    • Campeche
    • Chiapas
    • Guerrero
    • Michoacán
    • Nayarit
    • Oaxaca
    • Quintana Roo
    • Sinaloa
    • Tabasco
• Costa Rica, Malaria areas
  • Arenal Volcano in Guanacaste and Alajuela Province
  • Heredia in Heredia Province
  • Orosi Volcano in Guanacaste
• Costa Rica, Non- Malaria areas
  • Cartago in Cartago Province
  • Golfito in Puntarenas
  • Limon City in Puerto Limon
  • Monteverde in Puntarenas
  • Playa Hermosa in Puntarenas
  • Quepos in Puntarenas
  • San Jose

• England - cannot donate if spent time that adds up to 3 months or more in the U.K. from 1980-1996 (England, N. Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands)
• Europe - cannot donate if spent time that adds up to 5 years or more in European countries since 1980 (including time spent in the UK during 1980-1996)
• Iraq - cannot donate for 1 year after leaving the country
• Military - cannot donate if spent 6 mo. or more in U.S. military bases in northern Europe 1980-1990 or Southern Europe 1980-1996