Blood donor requirements that must be met by prospective donors

Blood donation is not only beneficial for the recipient of blood, but also beneficial for the donor. Blood donation can provide health benefits for donors, including lowering the risk of heart disease, the risk of cancer, and helping to lose weight. If you become interested in becoming a donor, there are several blood donation conditions that you must meet before giving your blood. Anything?

What are the requirements for a blood donation?

The following are the conditions that you must meet if you want to do a blood donation:

• The most important requirement for blood donation is that your physical condition must be healthy.
• Between 17-60 years old. Teens aged 17 years are allowed to donate blood if they get written permission from their parents.
• Have a minimum body weight of 45 kilograms.
• In good health when donating blood.
• Body temperature ranges from 36.6-37.5 degrees Celsius.
• Have a blood pressure of 100-160 for systolic and 70-100 for diastolic.
• Has a pulse of about 50-100 beats per minute on examination.
• The hemoglobin level must be at least 12 g / dl for women, and a minimum of 12.5 g / dl for men.

You can donate blood up to five times a year for a period of at least three months. Prospective donors can take and sign a registration form, then undergo a preliminary examination, such as weight, HB, blood type, and continue with a doctor's examination.

Apart from your physical condition, there are several other blood donation requirements that you must also fulfill:

• If you are on prescription antibiotics, you must complete the prescription before donating blood.
• While menstruating, wait until the menstrual period is over before you are allowed to donate blood. This is to prevent the risk of anemia.
• You are allowed to undergo blood donations while fasting. However, it should be noted that fasting blood donors can put you at risk of fainting. This is because when fasting, the body experiences various conditions that can affect health.
• If you recently got a tattoo, you may have to wait up to a year to become a donor.
• If you have a cold or cough, you will need to recover before donating blood. Although not a serious disease, this condition makes the body unfit and fresh.
• If you suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease, you can still donate blood, as long as your condition is stable enough, and meets all the requirements.
• If you have had a sexually transmitted disease such as syphilis or gonorrhea in the past 12 months, you must wait 12 months after your treatment is completely finished to be able to donate blood.

Who is not allowed to donate blood?

Not only age and general health status that can be seen when you want to donate blood. Health history and several other habits are also a requirement for donors.

The following are conditions that make you discouraged or unable to donate your blood:

1. Have high blood pressure

One of the important requirements for blood donation is blood pressure. Normal blood pressure ranges from 120 / 80-129 / 89 mmHg, if more than that you may be at risk of developing high blood pressure.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is better if you postpone blood donation if you have just taken hypertension medication and can donate blood after 28 days of use when your blood pressure is stable.

2. Weight less than 45 kg

Body weight is also a major requirement for blood donation. The amount of blood for a person is generally in accordance with the proportion of body weight and height.

People who are too light weight are considered to have low blood counts, so it is feared that they will not be able to tolerate the amount of blood drawn for the blood donation process.

In addition, someone who is underweight is also at risk of developing anemia or low blood pressure, which is characterized by dizziness or weakness. This condition can get worse after making a blood donation.

3. Smoking before blood donation

You are prohibited from smoking before donating blood. The reason is because smoking can trigger an increase in blood pressure, which then actually makes your blood pressure increase sharply when you are about to donate. You also become ineligible for blood donation.

4. Have hepatitis B and C

From a list of people who are not allowed to donate blood, one of those mentioned by the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) is people who have previously experienced hepatitis B. Not only hepatitis B, people with a previous history of hepatitis C are also not allowed to donate blood.

Even though the person has been declared cured of hepatitis B and C, they are still not allowed to donate blood.

5. Are pregnant

Blood donation during pregnancy is not recommended. This is done to protect the health of the mother, as well as avoid stress on the fetus due to reduced blood circulation in the uterus.

After giving birth, if you want to donate blood, you also have to wait nine months from the time of delivery (including the puerperium). This is so that your body has enough iron levels to maintain the nutritional health of your baby and yourself during breastfeeding.

Pregnant women do not need to do blood donations, considering that pregnant women tend to experience anemia so they need blood for themselves and their own fetuses. Mothers who dare to donate blood during pregnancy will increase their risk of developing anemia.

Apart from those mentioned above, you are also not allowed to donate blood if you have an infectious disease such as HIV positive and have used drugs and illegal drugs. To find out if you have this condition, it is better for you to check with your doctor first before donating blood.