FAQs about blood donation
At BloodConnect, we regularly get some questions which people ask about blood donation. We have curated some of those and created these FAQs to help out anyone who has any questions about blood donation in India. Find answers to your inhibiting questions and become a hero in someone’s life!
Process for donating blood
Q. How does the blood donation process work?
Donating blood is a simple thing to do, it involves 4 steps:
Registration
You will complete donor registration, which includes information such as your name, address, phone number, etc. You will be asked to show an ID card like Aadhar card, driving license, voter ID card, etc. as proof.
Health History and Mini Physical
You will answer some questions during a private and confidential interview about your health history and the places you have traveled to. You will have your temperature, haemoglobin, blood pressure, and pulse checked.
Donation
The staff will cleanse an area on your arm and insert a new, sterile needle for the blood draw. You will have some time to relax while the bag is filling (For a whole blood donation, it is about 8–10 minutes). When approximately a pint of blood has been collected, the donation is complete, and a staff person will place a bandage on your arm.
Refreshments
You will spend a few minutes enjoying refreshments to allow your body time to adjust to the decrease in fluid volume. After 10–15 minutes, you can then leave the donation site and continue with your normal daily activities.
Enjoy the feeling of accomplishment, knowing that you have helped save upto four lives.
Does the needle hurt?
Pinch the fleshy, soft underside of your arm. That pinch is similar to what you will feel when the needle is inserted. And it lasts only for a moment!
Q. How long does a blood donation take?
The entire process takes about 20 to 40minutes. The actual donation process of a pint of whole blood unit just takes eight to 10 minutes. However, platelet / plasma donation take more time (the donation process itself lasts roughly 40minutes in those cases)
Q. What should I do after donating blood?
While there are no specific precautions to be taken, we do suggest taking a bit light for the day. Try to take the following precautions
- Drink an extra four glasses (eight ounces each) of non-alcoholic liquids.
- Keep your bandage on and dry for the next five hours, and do not do heavy exercising or lifting (it can cause dizziness).
- Eat healthy meals and consider adding iron-rich foods to your diet.
- If you get a bruise: In an unlikely scenario, that you get a bruise- do not worry. Apply ice to the area intermittently for 10–15 minutes during the first 24 hours. After that, apply warm, moist heat to the area intermittently for 10–15 minutes. This will disappear over a period of 10 days.
- If you get dizzy or lightheaded: Stop what you are doing, lie down, and raise your feet until you feeling well enough to resume activities safely.
- Schedule your next appointment.
Q. How long will it take to replenish the pint of blood I donate?
The plasma from your donation is replaced within about 24 hours. Red cells need about four to six weeks for complete replacement.
Thats why at least eight weeks are required between whole blood donations.
Q. How often can I donate blood?
You can donate blood after 90 days of your previous donation.
Q. Who can donate blood?
The eligible donors should be between 18 to 60 years of age, having a healthy pattern of lifestyle. The body weight should be above 45 kgs. The haemoglobin should be above 12.5 g%.
Are there any side effects of donating blood?
No! There are no side effects of blood donation.
Q. Can I get diseases like AIDS or Hepatitis or any other illness from blood donations?
No. As only sterile disposables are used to collect blood, and these disposables can be used only one time, it eliminates any chances of acquiring any disease from blood donation.
Q. What happens to blood I donate?
Your blood in the blood bank is processed, and within 6 hours of Blood collection, It is separated into components viz. Red Cells, White Cells, Plasma & Platelets. These Blood components are made available for the patients.
By separating your donated blood into the components, all the useful parts of blood can be used, and from one unit of blood, four patients can be benefited.
Donate blood, Save Lives.
For more, visit: https://bloodconnect.org
