The information below is
for general informational use only.
For specific questions regarding medical or paternity issues, please contact your physician. Q. How
can I find out if I am eligible to donate blood? Q. I tried to give blood several years ago, and I fainted. Should I try to donate blood again? Q. What is double red cell donation? Q. I need a new donor card. Whom do I call? Q. Which blood types can be transfused to a person with type A, B, AB, or O blood? Q. What happens if a pregnant woman with Rh negative blood is carrying
a child with Q. I would like to become a marrow donor. How do I do this? Answers to Common Questions Q. How can I find out if I am eligible to donate blood? What if I am taking medications? A. The first step is to check the section on our website entitled “Are You Eligible?” If your question is not answered by the information on that page, please feel free to call the telephone number at the bottom of the page (1-800-294-3347, option 2). When calling, please have the names of all medications handy, as well as the reasons the medications were prescribed. Q. I tried to give blood several years ago, and I fainted. Should I try to donate blood again? A. Yes, you may try to donate blood again. Donors are encouraged to eat at least two hours before donating and to drink plenty of fluids two to three days prior to the donation. Donors should refrain from caffeine the day of the donation, because caffeine acts as a diuretic and may cause excessive loss of fluids. Finally, individuals should continue drinking plenty of fluids for the next couple of days following the donation process. Q. I tried to give blood several years ago, and I was unable to fill the bag. Why does this occur, and what can I do to prevent it from happening again? A. This occurrence is caused in many cases by blood clotting in the donation tube, and there is nothing you could have done differently to prevent it. If you are unable to fill the bag during a blood donation, please do not be discouraged. Simply try again at another appointment. Q. I donated blood six months ago and received a letter saying that I tested positive for infection. I have seen my doctor and I do not have any infection. Can I donate blood now? A. To keep the blood supply safe, donated blood is screened using highly sensitive tests. This sometimes causes a positive test result even when the donor has no disease. In some such situations, the donor cannot donate blood even if repeat testing with his/her own physician shows that there is no infection. For more information relevant to your test result, please call our Donor Counselor line at 1-800-513-3341. Q. How is the process of donating apheresis different from that of donating whole blood? And are the requirements for these two types of donors different? A. Before donating blood or blood components at the Red Cross, all donors go through the same process, including registration, completion of a set of questions, and a mini-health check physical to ensure that certain vital signs are adequate for donating blood. From here, the processes of apheresis and whole blood donation differ. The collection of whole blood takes approximately 5 to 15 minutes, while the process of apheresis may take up to 1.5 or 2 hours. Whole blood donation is performed through a single needle in your arm, but apheresis may require two needles in your arm. The eligibility requirements for apheresis are much the same as for whole blood donation. However, apheresis donors must not take any aspirin-containing medicines for at least 48 hours before the procedures. Whole blood donors must wait 56 days between donations, but most apheresis donors may donate more frequently. For example, platelet donors can donate up to two times in a week. Q. What is double red cell donation? A. Double red cell donation is an automated apheresis procedure which allows you to give two units of red blood cells at one time. If you donate two units of red cells and no other products, the collection process takes about 40 minutes, and you must wait 16 weeks before donating again. Not all blood donation sites offer the double red cell option, and not everyone can donate double red cells, so please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE ahead of time for locations and to find out if you are eligible. Q. I need a new donor card. Whom do I call? A. For a new donor card, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE and press 0 for the operator. The operator will then direct you to the appropriate person. If you get our voice mail system, please leave a message with your name and telephone number, including area code. Someone will get back to you shortly. Q. Which blood types can be transfused to a person with type A, B,
AB, or O blood?
Anti-A antibodies can destroy red blood cells carrying the
A marker,
Q. What happens if a pregnant woman with Rh negative blood is carrying a child with Rh positive blood? A. The mother’s body may form an immune response against the Rh markers on the baby’s red cells, causing a breakdown of the baby’s cells. Since blood testing is routinely performed on pregnant women, such situations can be detected early and treated appropriately. Q. I am concerned that my child’s blood type is different from my blood type and my husband’s blood type. Whom should I ask about this? A. The Northern Ohio Red Cross does not offer counseling regarding blood types, other than for selected situations relating to blood donors and for patients referred to our Immunohematology Reference Laboratory, nor do we perform paternity testing. If you have questions about paternity testing or about inheritance of blood groups, your primary care physician should be able to provide you with an appropriate referral. Q. Can a person’s blood type change, or will it stay constant throughout the person’s life? Can a blood transfusion affect the blood type of the recipient? A. A person’s blood type will remain the same throughout his or her lifetime. Blood type does not change after a person receives a blood transfusion. Q. I would like to become a marrow donor. How do I do this? A. The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis that provides marrow transplants for patients who do not have a matched donor in their family. A person of any race, ethnicity, or gender who is 18-60 years old and in good health can register to become a volunteer bone marrow donor. The first step in becoming a donor is to contact the local NMDP donor center at 1-888-8MARROW (1-888-862-7769). |
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