Can gay people give plasma

It was a long time to wait before he could finally donate with his partner and other friends. Potential donors who report having anal sex with new partners in the last three months are barred from giving until a later date, and anyone who has ever tested positive for HIV will continue to be ineligible.

Those taking pills to prevent HIV through sexual contact are still barred until three months after their last dose; the medications, known as PrEP, can delay the detection of the virus, the FDA said. Smith learned of the restrictions on gay men giving blood when he was screened while trying to donate his freshman year of college in The rules blindsided him, he said.

Learn about federal regulations related to blood donation by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Gender non-conforming (LGBTQ+) individuals. Bloodworks Northwest, where Smith works as a donor services supervisor, adopted the change on Dec.

He and his partner gave blood for the first time the next day. Plasma donation is essential for supplying life-saving treatments to people suffering from chronic illnesses, traumatic injuries, and other conditions.

Search Search. This leads. With the updated guidelines, most gay and bisexual men who are in a monogamous relationship with a man will no longer have to refrain from sex in order to donate blood. About half of the 16 independent blood bank organizations that are members of the Alliance for Community Transfusion Services have rolled out the new guidelines, with more expected next year, the organization said.

Bloodworks executive Aaron Posey, whose own life was saved by a transfusion when he fell down a set of stairs and broken glass sliced an artery, welcomed the new guidance. IE 11 is not supported. The agency shortened the abstinence period to three months in after donations plummeted during the COVID pandemic.

Profile My News Sign Out. Explore current and evolving plasma donation eligibility, including general requirements and specific considerations for LGBTQ+ individuals. The change puts the emphasis on sexual activity rather than on sexual orientation.

Thanks to new federal guidelines finalized in May, gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can now donate at many blood centers around the country. But workers have heard plenty of stories from people excited to give.

Can Gay People Donate

The new U. Food and Drug Administration guidelines are the latest step in a yearslong effort to reverse restrictions that were designed to protect the blood supply from HIV, but which were increasingly criticized as discriminatory following scientific advances that allowed better detection of the virus.

Skip to Content. With plasma in high demand, donation centers seek to expand their donor pools while maintaining safety protocols. All potential donors are screened with a new questionnaire evaluating their HIV risk based on sexual behavior, partners and other factors that can contribute to the spread of blood-borne infections, such as intravenous drug use or recent tattoos or piercings.

Inthe FDA dropped the lifetime ban on donations from men who have sex with men and replaced it with a one-year abstinence requirement. Plasma contains proteins used to create therapies that help blood clot, provide immunizations, and treat rare diseases.

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LGBTQ and Donation Donate

Thanks to new federal guidelines finalized in May, gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can now donate at many blood centers around the country without abstaining from sex. He said hospitals and patients need access to a new pool of donors.

Donated blood is then tested for HIV, hepatitis C, syphilis and other infectious diseases.