Frequently Asked Questions about Platelet Donation

I'M CURRENTLY TAKING AN ANTIBIOTIC. WILL I STILL BE ABLE TO DONATE?

• If you are taking an antibiotic for an infection, you should wait until 72 hours after your last prescribed dosage AND are symptom free before donating.

I'M ANEMIC. CAN I DONATE?

• At the time of donation, female donors must have a minimum hemoglobin (iron) level of 12.5 and male donors must have a minimum hemoglobin level of 13.  If your hemoglobin is in the acceptable range at the time of donation, you are okay to donate regardless of whether you are anemic or not.  Learn More.

I JUST HAD A FLU SHOT or VACCINATION. WILL I STILL BE ABLE TO DONATE?

• There is no deferral for the flu shot, as long as you are symptom free.  For MOST vaccinations, there is no deferral period as long as you are symptom free.  

I'M CURRENTLY TAKING A MEDICATION. WILL I STILL BE ABLE TO DONATE?

• MOST medications are acceptable for donation.  For questions, please contact us.  We are happy to review the Medication Deferral List and your specific information with you.

I'M DIABETIC. CAN I STILL DONATE?

• Yes!  As long as your diabetes is well controlled with or without medication, you can donate!

I'VE GOT HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? CAN I STILL DONATE?

• Yes!  As long as your blood pressure is well controlled with or without medication and within a normal range at the time of your donation, you are eligible to donate.  The acceptable range is 90/50 – 180/90.

I WAS STATIONED IN THE MILITARY AND SPENT TIME OVERSEAS. CAN I STILL DONATE?

• Yes!  The FDA recently changed guidance regarding travel and/or time spent in certain European countries or on military bases in Europe.  Many previously deferred military members are now eligible to donate under the new guidelines.  Please call us so that we may review your specific circumstances and determine your eligibility under current guidelines.

I GOT A TATTOO RECENTLY. CAN I STILL DONATE?

• You may donate if the tattoo was done at a state regulated facility using single use needles and ink.
  Use of Single use needles and ink in a state-regulated facility prevents spread of HIV and Hepatitis through tattoo application.

• You may donate after three (3) months if performed at a facility that is not state regulated or if not applied using single use needles or ink.

I RECENTLY TRAVELED OUTSIDE OF THE US/CANADA CAN I STILL DONATE?

• In most cases, the answer is YES!  There are, however, some possible restrictions, Give us a call so we can discuss the specific locations and time frames to determine eligibility.

HOW LONG MUST I WAIT AFTER GIVING BIRTH, TO DONATE BLOOD? 

• You are eligible to donate 6 weeks after giving birth as long as you meet requirements and are fully recovered.

• Additional testing may be required for previously-pregnant donors

WHEN WILL ABS IMPLEMENT CHANGES IN DONOR SCREENING TO INCLUDE INDIVIDUAL RISK ASSESSMENT ?

ABS implemented Individual Risk Assessment and other updates to the Donor Questionnaire on July 3, 2023.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THE DONOR QUESTIONNARIE, (QUICK PASS)?

1-        Removal of gender specific questionnaires.  
All donors are asked the same questions to assess potential risk for HIV transmission and prior pregnancy.  This may seem illogical, but it is required to ensure we are capturing accurate information.

2-        Addition of questions about medications for prevention or treatment of HIV.  (PeP, PrEP and ART)

3-        Allow donors with recent tattoos to donate if the tattoo was done at a state regulated facility using single use needles and ink.
Use of Single use needles and ink in a state-regulated facility prevents spread of HIV and Hepatitis through tattoo application.

4-        Allow donors with recent travel to malaria endemic areas to donate pathogen-reduced platelets.
Transfusion transmitted malaria is low risk in the US, however, is a serious concern.  In 2014, the FDA approved pathogen reduction devices that demonstrate effective reduction of Plasmodium falciparum for plasma or platelet components in donors who travel to malaria-endemic areas. 
However, prior residents of malaria endemic countries are still deferred from all donations, including pathogen reduced platelets, for at least 3 years after leaving the malaria endemic country.  Please contact us for additional information.

5-        Removal of questions related to military service and time spent in the UK or Europe.  Studies have shown that geographical deferrals for prevention of Creutzfeldt-Jackob Disease (vCJD) are not necessary.

WHY ARE YOU MAKING THESE CHANGES?

These changes are at the recommendation of the FDA and other regulating bodies.  The blood community relies on a multi-layered approach for the safety of the blood supply.  Questions are based on principles of cognitive psychology with a goal to facilitate donor understanding and accurate recall of relevant risk activities. All questions are asked to each donor to prevent misunderstanding and errors of omission.

ARE YOU MAKING THESE CHANGES TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT?

No- the blood community’s goal is to be as inclusive as possible while maintaining the highest level of safety for the blood supply.  The safety of the blood supply requires both availability of blood and prevention of transfusion-transmitted risk.  These updates support both objectives. 

IS THE BLOOD SUPPLY SAFE?

Yes, the science shows that these questions are effective for assessing an individual’s risk to donating blood. Careful evaluation of available data by regulating entities, including data regarding the performance characteristics of testing, expects implementation of these revised recommendations will not be associated with any adverse effect on the safety or availability of the blood supply.  The Donor History Questionnaire, Testing and Processing methods are all components of a multi-layered approach to safety.  Each component adds safety measures for the blood supply preventing transmission of diseases and reducing risk of transfusion while supporting an adequate supply. 

CAN I DONATE IF I AM TAKING PEP OR PrEP PROPHYLATICALLY FOR PREVENTION OF HIV INFECTION?

No, Pre- Exposure (PrEP) is a highly effective medication regimen used for HIV prevention. In people taking PrEP or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), low levels of HIV may be missed by current testing methods.  The blood community relies on accurate HIV testing as a part of its multi-layers approach to safety.   

• Donors who have taken medication by mouth for prevention of HIV are deferred for 3 months from last dose.

• Donor who have taken PreP by injection are deferred from donating for 2 years following the last dose.

More research on how these medications affect HIV testing are needed.

I HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN DEFERRED OR TOLD THAT I CANNOT DONATE, FOR ONE OF THE REASONS THAT HAS RECENTLY CHANGED. AM I ABLE TO DONATE NOW WITH THESE CHANGES?

 You may be eligible to donate again.  We have started re-qualifying previously deferred donors. Please contact us if you have any questions.

 YOU ONLY HAVE M AND F GENDER OPTIONS; I DON’T IDENTIFY AS EITHER. WHY DONT YOU HAVE OTHER OPTIONS?

The industry changes to non-binary genders and removal of gender specific requirements is a recent change. Changes to some req and some requirements have not been updated yet.  These requirements are specific for donor safety with minimum acceptable hemoglobin (iron) values and collection equipment algorithms.  As these donor safety measures are being evaluated and updated, please let us know if you do not want to identify as either available option so that we can accommodate for your safety.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE FDA IN BLOOD DONOR ELIGIBLITY?

The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health, including the safety of the U.S. blood supply. The FDA determines blood donor deferral policies using scientific data intended to ensure safety of the blood supply. All blood centers are regulated by the FDA and required to comply with current regulations.   The FDA issued the following Guidance on May 11, 2023  Recommendations for Evaluating Donor Eligibility Using Individual Risk-Based Questions to Reduce the Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission by Blood and Blood Products- May 2023, ABS has updated our questionnaire to meet these requirements.  Please contact us at absinfo@bmtga.com or at (404)459-8744 if you have any additional questions.

If you have any questions, please give us a call @ 404-459-8744.  We want to make sure that you have a great experience!