I checked the American Red Cross website and it says to be eligible to donate blood you must be 16+ and 110 lbs or more. I'm 19 and 107 lbs (I'm not anorexic, i'm only 5'3"). I'm 3 pounds under, so would this be cutting it too close, or would they still let me?
Another thing,if you're anemic can you still donate?
2007-01-15 18:53:52 · 12 answers · asked by SeattleGirl 2 in Health ➔ Other - Health
If you are anemic they won't let you give blood. I am anemic and I take Iron supplements to thicken my blood. If you really want to give blood then you should go to the blood bank and talk to them in person. Make sure you take an Iron pill and bring someone with you! I did that and they let me do it. Just be careful. I got really dizzy and I had to go eat a burger afterwords. Don't over-do it! You should be fine! Good Luck and Thank you in advance for saving a life!
2007-01-15 19:05:21 · answer #1 · answered by Aero Cat 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately, I don't think they will allow you to donate unless you definitely meet the weight requirement. Although being 3 lbs under is probably no big deal, if they allowed you to donate and something happened to you, they would probably be liable. If you really want to donate, you could try to gain just a few pounds beforehand which you could easily take off afterward. Eat a big meal before they weigh you and wear slightly heavier clothes. I'm not trying to suggest you do anything unhealthy, but let's face it, that 3 lbs really isn't going to make a difference in how your body handles the donation. I don't know about the anemic thing, but since I believe that means you have an iron deficiency, that will probably be a problem because they test the iron level of your blood with a finger prick every time you go to donate before they allow you to do so. I'm not anemic and have been turned down twice because my iron level was slightly below what it needed to be (it was the tiniest bit low, but they still wouldn't let me, so that shows that they are rather strict). Good luck!
2007-01-15 19:06:20 · answer #2 · answered by Grace1228 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you say you are 107, is that a morning weight? Maybe if you eat a big meal before you go, you can at least come close enough to the 110. Their scales might be different than the one you use anyway... And if you're anemic, i highly doubt you could donate. Sometimes anemia is even caused by losing too much blood, so why would they take more and make it worse, risking your health. Why would YOU want to do it in that case?
2007-01-15 19:00:00 · answer #3 · answered by Cyndi Storm 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They will not let you donate if you are anemic because you blood is of poor quality. Also, the weight limit is in place because smaller people have less blood and the loss is sometimes too much.
2007-01-15 19:03:56 · answer #4 · answered by zaleonia1 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No they wont take you. I'm 150 lbs and they turned me away just cause my veins were too little and another guy in lines blood pressure was a few points high. I saw them turn away a girl for being too light. They are overly careful, I guess they don't wanna get sued if something happens. It sounds cold, but I wouldn't bother if I were you. You will wait in line forever just to get turned away. You could find a better way to contrubute if you donated that time someplace else.
2007-01-15 19:02:30 · answer #5 · answered by imderanged 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The 110lbs is simply an average. If you are a healthy person then the weight doesn't matter as much. As for the anemia it depends on how sever it is. Try taking a supplement with iron in it if you are borderline anemic then it should fix the problem.
2007-01-15 19:01:17 · answer #6 · answered by Stephen G 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
of what i know of is that they are kind of strict with those things. if u dont weigh the 110 or more, then you cannot. also, i know that you have to be 'in good health' meaning that you cannot be anemic. it is kind of dangerous do donate if ur lighter since after u donate you get weak, but i am not sure though. hope i could help.
2007-01-15 18:59:09 · answer #7 · answered by jbljackie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if u r anemic u cannot donate blood dear...and u r underweight too...not a good idea yet....but a good thought...cheers!
2007-01-15 18:58:22 · answer #8 · answered by lilbit 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you are an anemic, I don't recommend you donate blood. !!!
2007-01-15 18:57:47 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
no if you are anemic they will not take your blood, it would do no one any good. gain 3 pounds and do it eating red meat.
2007-01-15 18:57:39 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋