The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published an updated guidance for evaluating donor eligibility using individual rather than gender-based assessment of donor health and history.   This guidance mandated that the new donor history questionnaire be revised to ask all donors, regardless of gender, about new or multiple sexual partners in the past three months. 

• Donors who have had a new sexual partner or more than one sexual partner in the past three months would then be asked about a history of anal sex in the past three months. 
  • If donors have had a new sexual partner or more than one sexual partner and had anal sex in the past three months, they would be deferred from donation for three months. 
  • Donors who have had new or multiple sexual partners without anal sex may be eligible to donate, provided all other eligibility criteria are met.  
  • Donors who have not had new or multiple sexual partners in the past three months would not be asked about anal sex.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration outlines the requirements and recommendations for screening blood donors. The questions were developed by professional societies and recognized by the FDA to be acceptable for determining donor eligibility across the nation.  

Before donating blood, you will need to complete a health history interview. With CFL Express Pass, you can fill it out at home or office, printing barcodes for your appointment. The pass is only valid on the same day.

Are you interested to know what type of questions you will need to address during the health history interview? Please review the questions below and contact us at donoradvocacy@giveblood.org | (713) 791-6608 if you have questions about your eligibility. 

1. Are you feeling healthy and well today?
2. Are you currently taking an antibiotic?
3. Are you currently taking any other medication for an infection?
4. Are you pregnant now?
5. Have you taken any medications on the Medication Deferral List in the time frames indicated? (Review the Medication Deferral List)
6. Have you read the blood donor educational materials today?
7. In the past 48 hours, have you taken aspirin or anything that has aspirin in it?
8. In the past 8 weeks, have you donated blood, platelets, or plasma?
9. In the past 8 weeks, have you had any vaccinations or other shots?
10. In the past 8 weeks, have you had contact with someone who was vaccinated for smallpox in the past 8 weeks?
11. In the past 3 months, have you taken any medication by mouth (oral) to prevent HIV infection? (i.e., PrEP or PEP)
12. In the past 3 months, have you had sexual contact with a new partner? (refer to the examples of “new partner” in the Blood Donor Educational Material)
13. In the past 3 months, have you had sexual contact with more than one partner?
14. In the past 3 months, have you had sexual contact with anyone who has ever had a positive test for HIV infection?
15. In the past 3 months, have you received money, drugs, or other payment for sex?
16. In the past 3 months, have you had sexual contact with anyone who has, in the past 3 months, received money, drugs, or other payment for sex?
17. In the past 3 months, have you used needles to inject drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor?
18. In the past 3 months, have you had sexual contact with anyone who has used needles in the past 3 months to inject drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by their doctor?
19. In the past 3 months, have you had syphilis or gonorrhea or been treated for syphilis or gonorrhea?
20. In the past 3 months, have you had sexual contact with a person who has hepatitis?
21. In the past 3 months, have you lived with a person who has hepatitis?
22. In the past 3 months, have you had an accidental needle-stick?
23. In the past 3 months, have you come into contact with someone else's blood?
24. In the past 3 months, have you had a tattoo?
25. In the past 3 months, have you had ear or body piercing?
26. In the past 3 months, have you had a blood transfusion?
27. In the past 3 months, have you had a transplant such as organ, tissue, or bone marrow?
28. In the past 3 months, have you had a graft such as bone or skin?
29. In the past 16 weeks, have you donated a double unit of red blood cells using an apheresis machine?
30. In the past 12 months, have you been in juvenile detention, lockup, jail, or prison for 72 hours or more consecutively?
31. In the past 2 years, have you received any medication by injection to prevent HIV infection? (i.e., long-acting antiviral PrEP or PEP)
32. In the past 3 years, have you been outside the United States or Canada?
33. Have you EVER had a positive test for HIV infection?
34. Have you EVER taken any medication to treat HIV infection?
35. Have you EVER been pregnant?
36. Have you EVER had malaria?
37. Have you EVER received a dura mater (or brain covering) graft or xenotransplantation product?
38. Have you EVER had any type of cancer, including leukemia?
39. Have you EVER had any problems with your heart or lungs?
40. Have you ever had a bleeding condition or a blood disease?
41. Have you EVER had a positive test result for Babesia?
42. From 1980 through 1996, did you spend time that adds up to 3 months or more in the United Kingdom countries of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar, or the Falkland Islands?
43. From 1980 through 2001, did you spend time that adds up to 5 years or more in France or Ireland? Time spent in Ireland does not include time spent in Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom.
44. From 1980 to the present, did you receive a blood transfusion in France, Ireland, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar, or the Falkland Islands?

The questionnaire has several changes. All blood donors are asked the same questions regardless of sex. If you are a male, you will need to provide an answer, even if it’s implied. All questions need to be answered to determine eligibility.

No.

• Having a safe and adequate blood supply is in the best interests of all patients requiring blood transfusions, which come from volunteer blood donors of all political parties and affiliations.
• Blood centers across the country have united in support of this change and have advocated for change for years due to the excellent safety record of current infectious disease tests and more recent data on the minimal risks associated with transmission of HIV.
• The current deferral has alienated a subset of the population due to its focus on gender identity and sexual orientation rather than individual sexual behavior.
• The new guidance proposes screening protocols that will be applied to all donors regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation

Based on the data available to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today, the decision was made to proceed with confidence that these new criteria would continue to support a safe and robust blood supply. The new screening protocols would apply a set of screening questions about sexual behavior to all donors vs. a small subset of donors, which supports safety screening methodology.

We don’t know. 

• Currently more than 60% of adults in the U.S. are eligible to voluntarily donate blood, yet in most communities less than 5% roll up their sleeves to help each year.
• The volunteer donor base is aging and lacking in younger more diverse blood donors, so there are concerns about the long-term sustainability of the blood supply.
• A donor screening process that equitably applies to all donors should help support a robust blood supply.
• It is too early to tell how many donors will or will not be deferred with the new criteria.

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center tests for markers of infectious diseases using the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approved testing kits. These include markers for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) type 1 and 2, Hepatitis B and C, Syphilis, Human T-Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV) type I and II, West Nile Virus and Chagas disease. All blood units sent for transfusion to patients have been tested and found to be negative for these markers.

Requirements for all blood and blood components donors  

Anyone who is age 17 or older may be eligible to donate blood. Individuals who are 16 years old may be eligible to donate with parental consent.  

You must bring a valid picture ID prior to donation. 

• Donors age 19 and up must weigh at least 110 pounds. 

• Donors 16 - 18:

  Donation Type	Age	Minimum Weight
  Whole Blood	16	120
  	17-18	115 M / 120 F
  Automated	17-18	115 M / 120 F

  *16-year-old donors must have parental consent. 
• Potential donors must be in general good health, without any cold or flu symptoms. 

How often can I donate blood?

Donating blood requires a waiting period between donations. If you donate:

• Whole blood- you may donate 56 days after your last whole blood donation.
• Double Red Cells- you may donate 112 days after your last double red cell donation. Double red cell donors must meet certain weight, height, and hemoglobin (iron) requirements.
• Platelets- you may donate 7 days after your last platelet donation, with a maximum of 24 donations per year.
• Plasma- you may donate 28 days after your last plasma donation.
• 16-18-year-old males — 56 or 112 days, depending on donation given
• 16-18-year-old females — 112 days

A donor is deferred when they don’t meet one or more eligibility criteria. It’s how long they must wait before being considered for donation again. For example, when you get a tattoo, you’ll be deferred for a week. That means you can donate blood one week after it was done.   

Or you may receive an indefinite deferral, where you aren't able to donate blood unless federal regulations change in the future. We understand this isn’t what you want to hear, but you can still help us save lives. Follow us on social media and emphasize the importance of donating blood and/or volunteer to help us recruit donors.   

Note: One of the most common reasons a donor is deferred is because of low iron. Learn more here.   

• Wait if you have a fever or a productive cough (bringing up phlegm).
• Wait if you do not feel well on the day of donation. 
• Wait until you have completed antibiotic treatment for sinus, throat or lung infection.     

Acceptable as long as you feel well, have no fever,  have no problems breathing through your mouth , and symptoms are not due to an infection.  

You are not eligible to donate if you are pregnant. You must wait 6 weeks until after the end of your pregnancy.

Did you recently have an abortion or termination of pregnancy?

You can donate one week after getting a tattoo (single-use dye/equipment), acupuncture (licensed practitioner), ear piercing (sterile gun), and all other body part piercings if applied in a state-licensed* facility.  

You can donate after three months if any of the above procedures was applied by yourself, an unlicensed individual or a facility that is not state-licensed.  

*Must be a licensed facility in one of the following states:  

• Alabama · Hawaii · Maine · Nebraska · Oklahoma · Texas  
• Alaska · Illinois · Michigan · New Hampshire · Oregon · Vermont  
• California · Indiana · Minnesota · New Jersey · Rhode Island · Virginia  
• Colorado · Kansas · Mississippi · New Mexico · South Carolina · Washington  
• Delaware · Kentucky · Missouri · North Dakota · South Dakota · West Virginia  
• Florida · Louisiana · Montana · Ohio · Tennessee · Wisconsin 

You can donate as long as the instruments used were single-use equipment and disposable (which means both the gun and the earring cassette were disposable). You must wait 3 months if the piercing was performed using a reusable gun or any reusable instrument, or if there is any question as to whether or not the instruments used were single-use equipment.

This list is NOT a complete list of countries, but it includes the most visited countries.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials announced changes in April 2020 that affect donor eligibility. The deferral period for people who have traveled to malaria-endemic areas has been shortened from a year to three months. (Travel is defined as a stay greater than 24 hours.) 

A three-year deferral is in place for donors who lived 5 years or more consecutively in a malaria endemic risk area. 

If the country you have visited is not listed, you may call (713) 791-6612 or (713) 791-6608 or email Medical Services.  

The Department of Health and Human Services officially declared Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency (PHE) on August 4, 2022. On July 23rd, the Director General of the World Health Organization declared the current epidemic a public health emergency of international concern.

The blood supply remains safe, both for donors and patients. There have been no cases of this virus being transmitted via blood transfusion during this or prior outbreaks.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not changed donor deferral criteria in response to this outbreak.

Donors are required to be in good health at the time of their donation. Those with a confirmed or suspected case of Monkeypox will be deferred from donating, consistent with other illnesses like COVID and the common cold.

• If you have COVID-19 or a positive test for COVID-19, you must wait 10 days and be asymptomatic prior to donating. 
• Donation is safe if you have been given any of these vaccines (Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Janssen/Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Novavax.). If you are participating in a clinical trial, and the protocol asks you not to donate blood for a period of time, you should follow those instructions. 

• If you have recently received a shot, vaccination, or other immunization, please consult the following list to determine if you can donate.

  SHOT/VACCINATION	COMMENTS
  Allergy shot	You can donate
  Botox injection	You can donate two days after your injection
  Chickenpox (varicella-zoster) vaccination	You can donate four weeks after your vaccination
  COVID-19 vaccine	Yes, if you have received an Inactivated COVID vaccine and you are not feeling any side effects (such as fever, malaise, cold/flu-like symptoms), you can donate blood without a mandatory waiting period.  If you received a Live Attenuated Vaccine for COVID, please wait 14 days before attempting to donate.  If you are unsure which you received, the facility where you received your vaccine will be able to give you this information.
  Flu shot (including H1N1) or FluMist	You can donate
  Gamma Globulin – HBIG (exposure to hepatitis)	You can donate three months after your injection
  Gardasil (human papillomavirus)	You can donate
  Havrix (hepatitis A vaccine)	You can donate four weeks after your vaccination
  Heptavax (hepatitis B vaccine)	You can donate four weeks after your vaccination
  Meningitis	You can donate
  Monkeypox	Those who are concerned about possible exposure to Monkeypox should delay from donating blood for a period of three weeks after that possible exposure.
  Novocaine	You can donate
  Polio (injection)	You can donate
  Pneumonia vaccination	You can donate
  Rabies (animal bite)	You can donate
  Routine TB test	You can donate
  Shingles vaccination	Zostavax: You can donate four weeks after your donation   Shingrix: You can donate.
  Steroid injection (joint)	You can donate if given for pain or inflammation. There is no deferral for steroid injections in the joint. You can donate after one month if given for infection.
  Steroid injection (intramuscular)	You can donate
  TB test for exposure	You can donate after three days or until the test has been read
  Tetanus Booster	You can donate

   

• In most cases, medications will not disqualify you as a blood donor. Your eligibility is usually based on the reason that the medication was prescribed. As long as the condition is under control and you are healthy and feeling well, blood donation is usually permitted. 
• Over-the-counter oral homeopathic medications, herbal remedies, and nutritional supplements are acceptable. 

Avodart (dutasteride) was approved on October 10, 2002, and became available for prescription in December 2002. Like Proscar (finasteride), it is for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) in men. However, it is considerably more potent. You must wait 6 months after your last dose before you can donate.

Consult this list for any medications you are currently taking and read the comments for that medication. Do not stop taking medication prescribed by your physician in order to donate blood.  

Haga clic aquí para ver una lista de aplazamiento de medicamentos.

Please consult the following list to determine if you can donate.

Consult the list below to determine if you can donate.  

Acceptable as long as it's controlled and no attack in the last 30 days requiring an ER visit. Medications for asthma do not disqualify you from donating 

If you have a history of bleeding problems, you will be asked additional questions. If your blood does not clot normally, you should not donate since you may have excessive bleeding where the needle was placed. For the same reason, you should not donate if you are taking any "blood thinner" such as: 

• Arixtra (fondaparinux) 

• Coumadin (warfarin) 
• Eliquis (apixaban) 
• Fragmin (dalteparin) 
• Heparin 
• Jantoven (warfarin)  

• Lovenox (enoxaparin) 
• Pradaxa (dabigatran) 
• Savaysa (edoxaban) 
• Warfilone (warfarin) 
• Xarelto (rivaroxaban) 

If you are on aspirin, it is OK to donate whole blood. However, you must be off of aspirin for at least 2 full days in order to donate platelets by apheresis.  For example, if you take aspirin products on Monday, the soonest you may donate platelets is Thursday. Donors with a clotting disorder from Factor V  Leidenwho are not on anticoagulants are eligible to donate; however, all others must be evaluated by the health historian at the collection center. 

• High Blood Pressure - Acceptable as long as your blood pressure is below 180 systolic (first number) and below 100 diastolic (second number) at the time of donation. Medications for high blood pressure do not disqualify you from donating. 

• Low Blood Pressure - Acceptable as long as you feel well when you come to donate, and your blood pressure is at least 90/50 (systolic/diastolic). 

• Acceptable as long as your pulse is no more than 100 and no less than 50.  A pulse that is regular and less than 50 will require evaluation by the physician. Athletics pulse between 40 and 49 may be acceptable with medical approval 

• Eligibility depends on the type of cancer and treatment history. If you had leukemia or lymphoma, including Hodgkin’s Disease and other cancers of the blood, you are not eligible to donate. Other types of cancer are acceptable if the cancer has been treated successfully and it has been more than 12 months since treatment was completed and there has been no cancer recurrence in this time. Lower risk in-situ cancers including squamous or basal cell cancers of the skin that have been completely removed and healed do not require a 12-month waiting period. 

• Precancerous conditions of the uterine cervix do not disqualify you from donation if the abnormality has been treated successfully. You should discuss your particular situation with the health historian at the time of donation. 

Most chronic illnesses are acceptable as long as you feel well, you are not taking any medications on the deferral list, the condition is under control, and you meet all other eligibility requirements. 

Diabetics who are well controlled on insulin or oral medications are eligible to donate. Non-U.S. Licensed or Non-U.S. bovine (beef) insulin has an indefinite deferral. 

In general, acceptable as long as you have been medically evaluated and treated, have no current (within the last 6 months) heart related symptoms such as chest pain and have no limitations or restrictions on your normal daily activities. 

• Wait at least 6 months following an episode of angina. 

• Wait at least 6 months following a heart attack. 

• Wait at least 6 months after bypass surgery or angioplasty. 

• Wait at least 6 months if there was a change in your heart condition that resulted in a change to your medications 

If you have a pacemaker, you may donate as long as it has been 6 months since the pacemaker was inserted, your pulse is between 50 and 100 beats per minute, and you meet the other heart disease criteria. You should discuss your particular situation with your personal healthcare provider and the health historian at the time of donation. 

Acceptable if you have a heart murmur as long as you have been medically evaluated and treated and have not had symptoms in the last 6 months and have no restrictions on your normal daily activities. 

If you have signs or symptoms of hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) caused by a virus, or unexplained jaundice (yellow discoloration of the skin), you are not eligible to donate blood. If you ever tested positive for hepatitis B or hepatitis C, at any age, you are not eligible to donate, even if you were never sick or jaundiced from the infection. 

You should not give blood if you have AIDS or have ever had a positive HIV test, or if you have done something that puts you at risk for becoming infected with HIV. 

You are at risk for getting infected if you: 

• have used needles to take any drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor in the last 3 months 
• are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, in the last 3 months 
• have taken money, drugs or other payment for sex in the last 3 months 
• have had sexual contact in the past 3 months with anyone described above 

You should not give blood if you have any of the following conditions that can be signs or symptoms of HIV/AIDS: 

• Fever 
• Enlarged lymph glands 
• Sore throat 
• Rash 

Donors who have undergone acupuncture treatments are acceptable if the procedure was performed in a licensed facility. 

Wait for 3 months after receiving a blood transfusion from another person in the United States. 

Acceptable after dental procedures as long as there is no infection present. Wait until finishing antibiotics for a dental infection. Wait for 3 days after having oral surgery. 

Women on hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms and prevention of osteoporosis are eligible to donate. 

• Wait 3 months after receiving any type of organ transplant from another person. If you ever received a dura mater (brain covering) transplant, you are not eligible to donate. This requirement is related to concerns about the brain disease, Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD). 

• If you ever received a transplant of animal organs or of living animal tissue - you are not eligible to donate blood.  Non-living animal tissues such as bone, tendon, or heart valves are acceptable. 

It is not necessarily surgery but the underlying condition that precipitated the surgery that requires evaluation before donation. Evaluation is on a case by case basis. You should discuss your particular situation with the health historian at the time of donation. 

Wait 3 months after treatment for syphilis or gonorrhea. For most major surgery, at least 6 months should elapse prior to donating.

If your PSA is elevated and you do not have prostate cancer, you may donate today, unless you are taking Avodart (dutasteride), Proscar (finasteride). If you are taking Proscar, you may donate one month after your last dose. If you are taking Avodart or Jalyn, you may donate 6 months after your last dose. If you don’t know why your PSA is elevated, please contact our Medical Services Department at (713) 791-6612. 

• Wait 3 months after having or being treatment for syphilis or gonorrhea.
• Chlamydia, venereal warts (human papilloma virus), or genital herpes are not a cause for deferral if you are feeling healthy and well and meet all other eligibility requirements. 

• Wait 3 months after treatment for syphilis or gonorrhea.
• Chlamydia, venereal warts (human papilloma virus), or genital herpes is not a cause for deferral if you are feeling healthy and well and meet all other eligibility requirements.