I know, it's not really good enough, but if they make the change I'll go back to donating. Really, it only takes about 2 weeks in order to show up in the blood sample, so 6 months would be more than enough time to allow for it to show up.

But, what they really need to do is start providing actual sex ed to gay men. The classes in elementary, middle and high school are completely worthless if you're having sex with other men.

Well done, AgentBirdnest, +1 for donating blood the only way you're currently allowed to. :-)

I belong to the "universal donor" blood group, and medical staff are always happy to see me. I donate as often as my health condition allows me, as I generally have low blood pressure, and low haematocrit. I also have thin veins, but don't mind the occasional haematoma or lump, especially if it's an emergency case; sadly I can't donate plasma and platelets due to this.


Not in.


EDIT: typo

You might consider donating plasma. It's about 2 hours, but the plasma regenerates within a few days. If you're getting tired after a donation, you might want to get your iron levels checked, you may be somewhat anemic. Obviously, within limits or they would decline to donation, but a bit more iron in the diet might help that.

They do a little test with a drop of blood sinking in a copper sulfate solution. I don't know how accurate that is, but they never warned me about low iron levels. I also never feel that tired after regular physical exertion, for example, so this fatigue is probably down to blood volume loss. Or maybe it's just a placebo effect because I think I'll probably feel some symptoms of blood loss. Or pure laziness that comes into its own to make me lie in bed. :D

6 months or 12 months (that point seems to vary by country) is standard for all sex-related deferrals (not just those related to gay sex) because there are a range of diseases that can be transmitted that way, and two weeks is by no means enough to be certain about most of them.

From what I've heard, those classes as presented in the US are usually useless to everyone. :P

It's normal to feel a bit fatigued afterward; this is one reason why they want you to eat and drink sugary stuff right after the donation. Iron stores can end up low even when your blood heme levels are normal though; it might not hurt to have that tested, but you'd have to see your doctor to do it.

This will close in exactly(ish) 24 hours.

Ditto. The wife and I can't donate for the same reason, from when we were stationed in Spain.

My brother and I used to donate regularly. He's super keen on exercise, and was once denied on the basis that his resting heart rate was too low. He sprinted around the block and returned. Though it was obvious what he'd done, they then let him donate, no problem.

I once got a call out of the blue from the Red Cross, and the lady said she had something to tell me about my blood. She then shuffled papers a while and asked me to hold. For those five minutes or so, I wondered what the heck was wrong with my blood and where I'd contracted something. Then she returned, mixed up my usual donation location, and said it wasn't time for me to donate again yet. There was nothing wrong with my blood. Thanks a lot.

The last time I donated was years ago. For whatever reason, I filled the bag at a much faster rate than those around me. The volunteer remarked that that was unusual, and a nurse came over to speak to me. I felt just fine til I got off the table and nearly fell over. It was about an hour before I could stand without dizziness and stumble home. Happily, my brother waited with me. I'd been stretched pretty thin by schoolwork-- maybe that was the cause. I hesitated to donate again while at school, and haven't returned to donate again.

Perhaps it's time to give it another shot.

Not in, thank you.

I like your precision. ;-)

In the US, we use the rules as a way of judging people. There's a few things like this that lead to lifetime bans on donation, but there's other things that net a 2 year ban. I think exchanging drugs for sex is one of those, but I haven't donated blood in ages.

Boycotting is asinine, but I just don't feel comfortable or wanted. Which is a shame because I've got O+ blood that's always in demand, I just don't need to go somewhere that I'm going to be judged.

That depends where you are. In much of the US, you're absolutely correct. That abstinence only BS is great for those that abstain, but the moment these people have sex, they now know absolutely nothing about how to protect against STIs and pregnancy. They certainly don't know the degrees of safety that can be gained through various choices.

Around here when I was in school, the main criticisms I have are the horrible pictures of diseased genitals that they use to scare people away from sex and the fact that it focuses way too much on heterosexual sex without anything for gay or lesbian sex.

I would love to donate blood, this has many health benefits for the donor. And i have a rare type (O+). Still, i have low blood quality and pressure (don't know the english word for this value/property of blood), so i unfortunately cannot.

I hate and think the worst for people, who refuse themselves and their kin to donate or receive blood, when in need, by evoking religious or "spiritual" reasons. Won't say name of cults that are (in)famous for this idiocy, or lack of common logic and basic humanity.

I have high blood pressure, maybe if we team up we can even the whole thing out and donate together!

Just FYI, I flunked Biology in High School. :P

Not in but +1.

i have never donated blood. I don't know my blood type but i'm frequently being asked to donate by doctors. Might be something rare, dont know.

Excellent idea for a giveaway. It's really nice that you're raising awareness about it here and hopefully it will motivate someone to go out there and do it.
I've never needed any blood transfusion myself but I like to donate blood at least once a year.
I would like to be in. Thank you. :)

My wife's father needed a transfusion so she makes me donate as often as I can. I have low blood pressure and big veins so I bleed fast, which means that I get lightheaded, and sometimes have to sit down on the floor on the way to get a cookie afterwards. I elevate my feet and make myself cough a few times during the process to keep blood to my head. I also have them get my a drink as soon as they put the needle in.

Thank you for the GA, Blood has been on my Wishlist for a while now.