| Obligatory | Must not donate if: a) Period has been missed. b) If under investigation for heavy and prolonged periods. c) Has uncontrolled period pain. |
| Discretionary | a) If a period has been missed, pregnancy can be excluded and the donor is well, accept. b) If the potential donor is taking supplemental iron to prevent anaemia, is not under investigation for heavy or prolonged periods and understands that donation will make anaemia more likely, accept. c) If taking medication to decrease blood loss (e.g. etamsylate (Dicynene®), tranexamic acid (Cyklokapron®)), accept. |
| See if Relevant | Anaemia - Discretionary 1. Iron deficiency Drug Index - preparations which may affect platelet function Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Pregnancy Surgery |
| Additional Information | It is OK to donate while having a period. However, the combination of blood loss from periods and donation will make iron deficiency anaemia more likely, particularly if the periods are heavy or prolonged. This affect can be minimised by taking supplemental iron. If the donor feels unwell because of their period, they should not donate but if period pain is well controlled by medication, they may be accepted. It is important that the type of medication taken, and its affect on platelet function is noted. |
| Reason for change | The entry has been rewritten for greater clarity. A 'Discretionary' entry has been added for donors taking drugs to reduce blood loss. |
| Donor Information | If you wish to obtain more information regarding a personal medical issue please contact your National Help Line. Please do not contact this web site for personal medical queries, as we are not in a position to provide individual answers. |