Why can't I give blood?

Question

I was told I can't give blood because I had unprotected sex in the past with a partner who I later found out had 'experimented' with his sexuality whilst being a student and had slept with a man.

I was tested at a GU clinic for every STI under the sun including HIV, syphillis, hepatitis, chlamydia, etc. All the results came back negative. As I know I am in the clear, why am I unable to give blood?

I had tests while I was still with my ex partner, and have also had tests long after this (years in fact) due to being pregnant, as they offer the tests routinely during pregnancy. So at the time of wanting to give blood there was no chance of me having anything.

Answer 1

The blood service are ultra cautious and if you have been at risk then the answer is no. I used to donate regularly but I mentioned I was using a (mild) steroid cream on my eczema, I wasnt allowed to give blood and was told I wouldnt be able to give in future;

Answer 2

The answer to this is so straight forward. You had unprotected sex with a male who had had sex with another male therefore the risk of infection is there. Even though your tests have proved negative this rule is in place to protect the recipient of the donated blood. People who have received blood since 1980 are also barred from giving blood. This is not a personal thing it is to protect the recipient of the blood product you would be donating.

I personally would not want to receive blood from a donor who has had the risk you describe, just in case the tests had missed any infection. Not all tests can pick up on this infection. In the same way a person in the clear can receive a wrongful positive result only to get a negative result back.

The NBTS is taking this precaution to ensure that the HIV infection doesn't get passed on even in the small number of cases that have been shown to be negative. This virus can lay dormant for some time and isn't immediately picked up. Blood tests are not infallible, they can sometimes produce negative results when some one is positive in the same way a positive result can be gained when a person is negative. And then there is always the case for human error.

I hope that you have a better understanding of why you cannot give blood.

Answer 3

For the safety of patients all blood gets screened at least twice. Once with the donor, before it is given, and again with the Red Cross.
I'm sure you've heard the stories from the 80's, such as Ryan White, who received HIV from a blood transfusion and died from the illness a few years later.
HIV is a virus that takes time to build up to testable levels. If the incident was less than a year ago, you could still be a carrier and not have it show up on tests yet. If it was more than a year ago, and tests are still negative, keep getting tested anyway. Just know that once the Red Cross throws up a red flag on any donor, it's hard to get taken off their blacklist. It's not personal, they're just protecting patients. Just as I hope you'd want them to protect you.

Answer 4

Please don't take it personally. All of the reasons given above by others are totally valid.

The Blood Transfusion Service has to be incredibly careful. No matter how much you are tested for something there is always the most minute chance of it still being present or developing at some stage. Think about it from the point of view of the person receiving the donated blood, would you prefer that the BTS had been ultra careful or tried not to hurt potential donors feelings?

Other groups of people who cannot donate include people who have been travelling to certain parts of the world. No one actually knows if they have been exposed to a blood borne infection or virus which hasn't manifested itself yet.

I know its hard to take when we all know how much the BTS need donors and blood but sometimes they just have to say no.

Answer 5

Hiv, Aids etc does not show up immediately. It takes time. You would not want to be responsible for someone dying would you. I am not even allowed donating blood in Uk even though i have always donated blood in SA. Just because i am from SA. I don't sleep around have had the same partner for years and still they refuse it. Well, i know my blood is perfectly clean and it is their loss, i could have been saving quite a few life's by now. Maybe if you return in a couple of months they will find your blood acceptable. Good luck nice to know you wanted to be a Doner.:)))

Answer 6

no test can reliably detect HIV infection in the first 10 days after someone has become infected with it so a person who donates blood soon after becoming infected with HIV can transmit the infection even if the test for HIV is negative. For this reason all ppl who are identifiably at increased risk of HIV are excluded(including people just out of prison, girls who've had sex with a guy who's had sex with another guy, people who've injected themselves with drugs, people who've been in areas where lots of people have HIV). You should be able to give it a year after yo've had sex with him though.

Answer 7

If u go back u should beable to give blood, they screen ur blood anyway to make sure u dont have any thing like hiv, diabetes etc, look on the net sure there might be a helpline or a forum .

Answer 8

You may be OK, but the medical profession is cautious that there may be some risk, so they are just being careful. It is better to offend you slightly than to take the risk of passing on some unpleasant or dangerous disease to some innocent and unsuspecting person who is already ill enough to need a blood transfusion.

Answer 9

There is probably an amount of time they have to wait between the sexual contact and accepting your blood. If you really want to donate, find out if there is a time limit they are waiting for, and then get tested for the STD'd and bring that with you when you donate. Good luck :)

Answer 10

Just phone them up,not to complain just to ask,they will explain it to you. It may be that their is a time limit to lapse before giving blood.They Will be glad you called,and that you was honest about your sexual past,its the people giving blood that are not honest about there past or know of partners past that cause the infections.In an ideal world,only virgins could,give blood,but since there is a national shortage of them we have to rely on ordinary people.well done for trying,no-one is perfect including me.