If you are wondering how often can you donate blood, let’s talk! The American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks, and several other organizations agree that healthy adults may donate blood every 56 days.
The 56-day interval is important because your red cells take about this long to regenerate once they get low. However, if you are sick or taking certain medications, you may not be able to donate for shorter intervals than 56 days.
The time between blood donations is important. You definitely could donate less frequently than every 56 days; however, donating the same blood too often can be harmful to you and/or your recipient because of iron build-up in the blood.
It may sound extreme, but can you donate every day?
No. The American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks, and other organizations agree that healthy adults may not donate blood every day.
The time between blood donations is important. You definitely could donate less frequently than every 56 days; however, donating the same blood too often can be harmful to you and/or your recipient because of iron build-up in the blood.
It’s a good idea to wait at least eight weeks between whole blood donations. The best method for those who need frequent blood donations is to donate double red cells.
Double red cells are an older form of cellular donation that basically involves removing two units of whole blood, treating it as you usually would, and returning one unit to the donor as a ‘double red cell’ donation. This is the only type of donation where someone can potentially donate more frequently than every 56 days.
Why should I donate and when? You can donate blood if you’re healthy and between the ages of 17 and 69, weighing at least 110 pounds. Your body uses the red blood cells to carry oxygen around your body.
If you don’t give blood or your body doesn’t make enough red blood cells, you might get sick or feel less well than normal. Not giving blood could leave you with a deficiency of certain vitamins like B12, which is required for normal brain function.
