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Blood donation
Apr. 17th, 2026 08:24 pmToday I made my 25th blood donation, which was also my first platelet donation.
I made my first blood donation when I was 18, at the university's student union. I continued with this for a while after graduation, but then got out of the habit, until I resumed donations a couple of years ago. There have been some changes to the eligibility requirements, so if you've been turned away in the past then you might be allowed to donate now.
In particular, this affects men who've had sex with other men:
* Prior to 2011, there was a lifetime deferral (i.e. a blanket ban).
* In 2011, this was changed to a 12 month deferral (i.e. you had to wait 1 year after sex before donating blood).
* In 2017, this was reduced to a 3 month deferral.
* In 2020, the waiting period was eliminated, as long as you've only had 1 partner in the past 3 months. (E.g. you could have sex with that partner the day before donation.)
( Read more... )
I made my first blood donation when I was 18, at the university's student union. I continued with this for a while after graduation, but then got out of the habit, until I resumed donations a couple of years ago. There have been some changes to the eligibility requirements, so if you've been turned away in the past then you might be allowed to donate now.
In particular, this affects men who've had sex with other men:
* Prior to 2011, there was a lifetime deferral (i.e. a blanket ban).
* In 2011, this was changed to a 12 month deferral (i.e. you had to wait 1 year after sex before donating blood).
* In 2017, this was reduced to a 3 month deferral.
* In 2020, the waiting period was eliminated, as long as you've only had 1 partner in the past 3 months. (E.g. you could have sex with that partner the day before donation.)
( Read more... )
