Anyone who is in good health, is at least 16 years old and weighs at least 110 pounds may donate blood.
Some health conditions or medications may prevent a person from donating blood.
| Acupuncture - sterile technique and single use device |
can donate |
| Accutane |
4 week wait |
| Allergy or Asthma Medications (without steroids) -
if experiencing no symptoms |
can donate |
| Antibiotics |
24 hours from last dose |
| Anti-depressants |
can donate |
| Aspirin |
can donate |
| Avodart |
6 month wait |
| Birth control pills |
can donate |
| Blood pressure medicine |
can donate |
| Blood transfusion or tissue transplant |
12 month wait |
| Botox |
48 hour wait after injection |
| Cancer - basal or squamous cell |
can donate |
| Cancer - lymphoma or leukemia |
cannot donate |
| Cancer - melanoma |
Can donate after 3 years with doctor's approval |
| Cancer - all other types |
can donate after 1 year"cancer free" |
| Childbirth - after delivery, miscarriage or abortion |
6-week wait |
| Clotting factor concentrates |
cannot donate |
| Colds - fever, sore throat, cough |
cannot donate |
| Diabetes - oral medicine |
can donate |
| Diabetes - insulin-dependent with doctor's approval |
can donate |
| Diet pills |
can donate |
| Ear and body piercing - sterile technique and single
use device |
can donate |
| Human Growth hormone - derived from pituitary gland |
cannot donate |
| Heart attack |
12 month wait |
| Heart bypass surgery or stent |
12 month wait |
| Heart disease, or taking heart medicine |
can donate with doctor's approval |
| Hepatitis, after age 11 |
cannot donate |
| Herpes or cold sores (without active lesions) |
can donate |
| Hormone replacement therapy |
can donate |
| I.V. drug use - not prescribed by doctor |
cannot donate |
| Jail or prison |
12 month wait |
| Malaria |
3 year wait |
| Male who has had sex with another male |
cannot donate |
| Military employee or dependent - spent 6 months or
more associated with military base in Europe between 1980
and 1996 |
check with blood bank |
| Oral surgery, tooth extraction |
3 day wait |
| Pregnancy |
cannot donate |
| Propecia |
4 week wait |
| Proscar |
4 week wait |
| Residence or travel in the U.K. for a total of 3 months
or more between 1980 and 1996 |
cannot donate |
| Residence or travel in Europe for a total of 5 years
or more since 1980 |
cannot donate |
| Sex with a person at risk for bloodborne disease (IV
drug user, prostitute, person with AIDS) |
12 month wait |
| Soriatane |
3 year wait |
| Surgery (without transfusion) |
can donate after release from doctor's
care |
| Surgery (with transfusion) |
12 month wait |
| Syphilis or gonorrhea |
12 month wait after treatment |
| Tattoos |
12 month wait |
| Tegison |
cannot donate |
| Thyroid medicine |
can donate |
| Travel to malaria area |
12 month wait |
| Vaccinations - MMR |
4 week wait |
| Vaccinations - Flu, Hepatitis A |
can donate |
| Vaccinations - Hepatitis B |
4 week wait |
| Vaccinations - Smallpox |
8 week wait |
| Vitamins |
can donate |
