Five Reasons For Giving Blood

Almost everywhere in the world, blood transfusion centers are never more than three days away from running out of blood. Life saving to people who have suffered injuries or who undergo surgery, donated blood is difficult to store and impossible to stockpile. Any kind of disaster always puts a strain on hospital blood supplies. Even though it is possible to store blood and blood products under refrigeration for as long as 35 to 42 days, blood is always in short supply.

Blood donors are an elite, small, and very generous segment of the public at large. In the United Kingdom, in a typical year, only about 1 in 25 eligible adults chooses to donate blood. In Australia, only about 1 in 33 eligible adults donates blood as often as once a year. And in the United States, despite massive advertising campaigns and time-off incentives to volunteer blood donors, only about 1 in 125 adults gives blood as often as once a year.

It's trite, but it's true that giving blood can save a life. However, the benefits of giving blood can be much more specific. Here are the top five reasons to consider blood donation — whether for the first time, or more often.

1. The blood that you give isn't necessarily given to a stranger. Autologous donation enables you to stockpile blood (although only at most one pint, to be used within 7 weeks) for yourself, in anticipation of your having surgery. Replacement donation allows you to pay back the blood bank when a friend or relative receives a blood transfusion.
2. Giving blood tends to be heart-healthy. Men who give blood regularly, in particular, are less likely to have heart attacks and strokes, probably because blood donation removes excessive amounts of clotting factors from the bloodstream.
3. If you happen to have a hereditary condition called hemochromatosis, an iron overload disease, giving blood is unquestionably therapeutic. Some people have just one or two of the four genes associated with the disease, and they develop lower bloodstream iron levels. These iron levels may not be high enough to be treated as if they were "full blown" hemochromatosis, but they may be high enough to increase the risk of diabetes, nerve damage, liver damage, and heart disease. Giving blood regularly keeps iron levels down while simultaneously helping other people.
4. The donor screening process identifies correctable health problems that you may not want to ask your doctor about. Every blood donor is now routinely screened for HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis, and many are screened for cytomegalovirus, West Nile virus, Creuzfeld-Jakob disease, and malaria. Chances are that you wouldn't walk into your doctor's office and ask "Do I have malaria?" If you give blood, and you have a disease that you need to know about, you'll find out when your blood is screened. If you live in a country where medical treatment is expensive, giving blood can be an excellent way to discover whether you have a disease you need to be treated for, at no cost to you.
5. Many blood centers put donors at the top of the list for blood transfusions when blood is in short supply. If you regularly donate to your blood bank, most of the time they will make a special effort to help you when you need them.

Does Giving Blood Hurt?

Just about no one who donates blood asks the question "Will this hurt?" People who have decided to give this gift of life have usually made up their minds that they will go through the process even if there is a little pain.

But because it's only reasonable to wonder whether giving blood hurts and you're not going to get the answer to this question before your first donation, we'll give an answer here. Giving blood doesn't hurt very much, or very long.

Donor blood is collected with a 16- or 17-gauge needle. This is about the same size needle used for body piercing. The needle has to be relatively large to keep from compacting and tearing red blood cells as they pass through.

The insertion of the needle, which usually takes less than a minute, is the only part of the blood donation process that hurts. The phlebotomy nurse has to run the needle under the skin, and it is possible to encounter a valve. The nurse cannot force the needle through a valve, because injuring the valve would cause blood to pool in the vein later. Once in a while, the nurse or phlebotomist has to poke your twice, but staying calm, being brave, and allowing the nurse to find the right vein will make this problem a lot less likely.

Prospective blood donors often have other questions, too, so let's keep going.

How much blood will I give? Is there any danger of not leaving me enough?

Blood donation usually involves the withdrawal of 250 to 500 ml of blood. That is the equivalent of 1 to 2 cups. Outside the USA and Canada, most blood donors give only 200 to 250 ml of blood each time, but in North America, larger blood donations are more common. Since the adult body usually contains about 5 liters (20 cups) of blood, the relatively small amount of blood drawn during blood donation causes no shortages in your own body.

Will giving blood leave me with a bruise?

Applying pressure on the puncture site for a minute or two after the needle is withdrawn, with the application of a bandage to be kept on the skin at least a few hours, will prevent the formation of bruises.

I can't stand the sight of blood. Can I give blood?

Here's a hint: You don't have to watch. Many people who give blood don't want to watch the process, so they just close their eyes until it is over. You could also read a magazine or play with your phone while your blood is taken.

Will I get paid for donating blood?

In English-speaking countries, you are sometimes paid for donating plasma, but by and large your pay for donating blood is the satisfaction of helping save a life — maybe your own. In other parts of the world, blood donation may be paid, but blood donors give less blood less often.

How soon can I give blood again!?

Usually blood donors are asked to wait 56 days (8 weeks) before donating blood again, to give the body ample time to recover.

Thank you for giving blood. Donating blood is one way most people can save a life.