Healthbeautyidea.com – How much blood do you donate? In today’s modern era, there is still a group of people asking that question whenever someone offers them to do a blood donation. They are afraid to donate their blood.
So, to help you understand more about blood donation as well as the volume of blood that will be taken from you, here we’ve gathered some of the useful information you can use as a reference.
Who Can Donate Blood? The blood donation rules
First of all, before we talk about how much blood that you will donate, you should know one of the most important things about blood donation. It is the blood donation rules. The rules regulate who can donate their blood. Depending on the type of blood donation, the rules are also different. Here are the explanations:
Whole Blood Donation
You do not donate your entire blood. However, whole blood donation is the standard/basic blood donation where you donate the blood that runs through your vein. As for this type, you should:
- Having a good health condition and feel well on the day you donate,
- At least 16 years old,
- At least you have 110 lbs of weight,
Power Red Donation
This donation only takes your red blood cells. The white cells and platelets will be returned to your body. As for the eligibility requirement:
- You have a good health condition,
- For male donors, you must be:
- At least 17 years old,
- 5’1” tall,
- 130 lbs of weight.
- For female donors, you must be:
- At least 19 years old,
- 5’5” tall,
- 150 lbs weight.
- In this blood donation type, you will donate 2 units of red blood cells.
Platelet Donation
Platelet is one of the blood parts that have a job to stop bleeding. It forms blood clots that cover the damage. Therefore, this part holds a significant role in various treatments, from traumatic injuries to cancer. People platelet every 15 seconds, therefore, this donation is the most needed by all. As for the eligibility requirement:
- Good health condition,
- At least 17 years old,
- At least you have 110 lbs of weight.
AB Elite Plasma Donation
As its name implied, this blood donation only takes the blood plasma from your body. And, it is also a donation specially made for AB blood type. The process takes a few minutes longer than standard blood donation (whole blood donation). However, it is necessary to help many people in need. If you want to try this blood donation, you must fulfill this requirement:
- Type AB blood,
- Good health condition,
- At least 17 years old,
- At least you have 110 lbs of weight.
You can do all those blood donation types at the hospital. Or, for your convenience, you can also donate your blood at the Red Cross center in your area. They will help you do that and get the blood donation that you want to do.
How Much Blood that We Can Donate?
Mostly, all blood donation types take the similar volume of blood. However, to making it easier to understand, we are going to use the basic blood donation or whole blood donation as the base to see how much blood do you donate?
In general, within one session of blood donation, they will take 1 pint of your blood. A human has a total of 10-12 pints of blood in their body. It is around 8% of your total body weight. If we converted it into milliliters, 1 pint is equal to around 473 ml. However, most of the blood donation sessions will only take around 350 ml to 450 ml of your blood.
It looks plenty, indeed. However, you don’t have to worry. Your body has a system that can recover and recreate the blood cells that you donate. It will produce the new blood cell, so it can operate its function without damaging the organ.
The Blood Donation Frequency
How often can a donor give blood? Other than how much blood that you can donate, you also have to know the frequency of the blood donation you can do. It is different between the blood donation types that we mentioned above. Here are the details about how often you can donate your blood.
- Whole Blood Donation – once every 56 days,
- Power Red Donation – once every 112 days (limited to 3 times per year),
- Platelet Donation – once every 7 days (limited to 24 times per year),
- AB Elite Plasma Donation – once every 28 days (limited to 13 times per year).
Can I donate blood every month? Yes, you can, as long as the blood donation type that you want to do allows you to donate. So, based on the information above, you can only donate your blood once every month for Platelet Donation and AB Elite Plasma Donation.
Other than those two, you should follow the donation frequency rule, to avoid serious damage to your body and health problems.
The Benefits of Blood Donation
Blood donation benefits are not only for those who receive the donation. The donor also can get various health benefits. For example:
You can detect serious health problems in your body. Before you donate, you have to check your blood condition to ensure you are in good health. During this step, many people found a health problem that they never knew before.
Blood donation also reduces the iron level in your blood. Too much iron can cause hemochromatosi, a dangerous health problem that occurs a lot these days. Blood donation also helps your body to get new, healthier, and fresher blood cells that can perform well than the old blood cells. It makes you feel more energized and healthier.
Conclusion
In short, donating your blood brings you various benefits. Therefore, you don’t have to hesitate or be afraid. They only take enough blood volume that doesn’t harm your body. So, we hope you understand about this matter. Now, you don’t have to ask how much blood do you donate question. Donate your blood, help others, and be healthier.
How Much Blood Do You Donate? Watch the video explanation below
