Homosexuality and Bone Marrow/Blood Donation

[Mothernature]

what makes people believe that heterosexuals don't have any stds, just gay men? Gay women are not turned away so it not just gay sex its gay men having sex and once again, I woman can have sex with a man who has sex with a man and she can donate and she has been exposed to the man who cant

If i needed a donation, I would perfer it from a gay man who has been in a monogomus relationship for years than a 20 year old college female or male. Just in general 20 year old don't make the best decisions.

And what if a person just lies on the form now what aren't you going to to test the blood?

Once again std are not a gay issue, they are a sex issue and anyone who has sex with anyone else is at risk. All sexual behavior is risky behavior not matter who it is and who they are doing it with.

The reason a particular group is disqualified is based on statistics of infections collected over a particular period. In avoiding a particular group with high risks, the costs and risks discussed are minimal.

Fair or not, empirical data is king is all aspects of health care.

[couponsmakecents]

The reason a particular group is disqualified is based on statistics of infections collected over a particular period. In avoiding a particular group with high risks, the costs and risks discussed are minimal.

Fair or not, empirical data is king is all aspects of health care.

If not for empirical data we would not have a lot of regulations in all aspects of health care. Totally agree with you here.

[Colinsgrandma]

You can't give blood if you have visited certain countries or if you are taking certain medications. I can't donate because I have had hepatitis. My husband did pheresis donation until he had a heart valve replaced and was put on coumadin. People who receive these transfusions are usually critically ill and certainly don't need any complications. It's one reason all healthy people who are eligible should donate.

[dionada]

I've never understood why they aren't willing to take donations from EVERYONE and then do the regular tests which they always do to see which can't be used. People can have a disease and not even know it so questions obviously only go so far. I guess they're trying to cut down on the costs of testing by weeding people out in the screening process. Perhaps they are also trying to protect the workers who are drawing the blood and handling it. But as has been pointed out, bloodborne diseases could be carried by anyone so there is really no point to that particular question.

My guess would be cost. Drawing the blood, testing the blood, transporting/storing the blood, and even eventually destroying blood, all cost money. You'd have to have employees to screen potential donors (even if you're not asking them all these invasive questions, you need to make sure their vitals are at least okay, plus as a PP said they would have to have a Hgb or Hct checked to make sure their blood would even be helpful to a donor, not to mention the risk of a donor reaction during the process).

Most blood banks in the US (not sure about the Red Cross) are non-profit. So the questions, while invasive and possibly uncomfortable, are a relatively inexpensive way to weed out not only people who might have certain diseases, but who have health problems that disqualify them from donating, and who have taken drugs that may harm recipients. For example, Accutane or Tegison can cause severe birth defects. They don't test for drugs or medications (and why would they test for relatively rare ones like Accutane, Tegison, Soriatane, Proscar, etc?).

Plus, having to ask them hundreds of times helped me with my enunciation. I worked for United Blood Services for a while.

[momof2inohio]

They turned me down because I didn't weigh enough. I guess you have to weigh at least 110 pounds to give blood:shrug7:

[CSchunk]

It isn't discrimination. Statistics are tools, when we are trying to know things that are unknowable we use statistical analysis to lessen the risks. Yes, it sucks that sometimes good people aren't allowed to do something because they have a common affiliation to a group which is associated with something bad. But, it sucks even more to take unnecessary risks.

[alicetheengineer]

They turned me down because I didn't weigh enough. I guess you have to weigh at least 110 pounds to give blood:shrug7:

Yes, you do. I once tried to donate and the nurse made me get on a scale & said, "You need your blood more than we do." That was slightly embarrassing.

I did donate the umbilical cord blood when I had my babies though, since there's no minimum weight requirement for that.