Eligibility and FAQs

To help protect both donors and the people receiving blood, each type of blood donation has different requirements. Explore different types of blood donation.

It depends on the type of donation:

Whole-blood donation takes about 45 to 60 minutes.

Apheresis blood donation for red blood cells, plasma and platelets takes one-and-a-half to two hours.

At Mayo Clinic donor centers, you can use wireless internet, watch TV or enjoy a movie while you donate.
Before you donate, eat a healthy meal and drink lots of water. Make sure you are well rested, and wear a shirt with sleeves that you can roll up above your elbows. Bring a photo ID that shows your first and last name.
To donate blood, you must weigh at least 110 pounds (about 50 kilograms) and be at least 16 or 17 years old, depending on the law in your state. Some states, such as Minnesota, allow 16-year-olds to donate with a parent’s or guardian’s consent. You also must be in good health and pass a brief health screening.
It depends on the type of donation and where you donate:

Whole-blood donors can give every 56 days in the United States. However, with the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program in Rochester, Minnesota, you can donate every 84 days.

Plasma donors can give every 28 days.

Platelet donors can give every eight days, up to 24 times in 12 months.

Double red blood cell donors can give every 112 days in the U.S. However, with the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program in Rochester, Minnesota, you can donate every 168 days.

The Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program welcomes regular and repeat healthy donors to keep a steady blood supply for those in need. If you start donating when you are young and continue throughout your life, you could save thousands of lives.
To donate blood, you must be at least 16 or 17 years old, depending on your state’s law. In Minnesota, 16-year-olds can donate with a parent’s or guardian’s consent. Donors also must weigh at least 110 pounds (about 50 kilograms) and be in good health.

Before a 16-year-old can donate, a parent or guardian needs to review and sign these forms:

Blood Donation Consent for Minors. This form is needed before each donation.

Authorization to Release Protected Health Information. This form is needed once when the donor is 16. The donor signs this again at age 18.

If you can’t open or print these forms, you can get them several other ways. Call the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program at 507-284-4475 or email donateblood@mayo.edu. You also can visit a Mayo Clinic donation center or mobile blood drive to get copies of the forms.
You can only donate if you have no symptoms of a cold, flu or fever on the day of your donation.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests waiting 10 days to donate after a positive COVID-19 test if you have no symptoms. If you have symptoms, wait at least 10 days after your symptoms are completely gone. The Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program doesn’t test donors for COVID-19.
Traveling to some countries may temporarily prevent you from donating blood. This depends on whether certain diseases, such as malaria, are common in those places. Rules about travel can change. For the most current travel guidelines, contact the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program by phone at 507-284-4475 or email donateblood@mayo.edu.
It depends on your condition. You can donate after routine teeth cleaning or dental work.
Most medicines won’t keep you from donating blood. This includes medicine for high blood pressure, birth control medicines and pain relievers.

If you want to donate platelets, stop taking aspirin or any medicine with aspirin 48 hours before your donation. If you’re taking antibiotics for an infection, you’ll need to finish all your medicine before giving blood.

If you take medicine to prevent HIV, such as preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), you must wait three months after your last pill or two years after your last shot before you can donate.

For questions about other medicines, contact the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program by phone at 507-284-4475 or email donateblood@mayo.edu.
You can give blood after most vaccines if you feel well. If you got a vaccine for chickenpox, or measles, mumps amd rubella, or if you got the oral polio vaccine, you need to wait two to four weeks.

You don’t need to wait if you got a COVID-19 vaccine approved in the U.S. You also can donate after a flu shot as long as you feel well.
Yes. You can give blood if you got the tattoo or piercing from a licensed establishment that uses sterile needles and nonreused ink.
To keep you and the person receiving your blood safe, there are some reasons you may not be able to give blood. Some reasons are temporary, which means you can donate later. Other reasons are permanent.

Temporary reasons

You may need to wait to donate if you:

Had babesiosis, a rare disease spread by ticks, within the past two years.

Used injected drugs, steroids or other substances not prescribed by a healthcare professional within the past three months.

Exchanged sex for money or drugs within the past three months.

Lived with or had sex with someone who has hepatitis B or C within the past three months.

Had a new sexual partner or had multiple sexual partners within the past three months and had anal sex during that time.

Permanent reasons

You can’t donate if you:

Have a blood-clotting disease you were born with.

Have ever tested positive for HIV.

Have ever tested positive for hepatitis C.

Have ever taken a medicine called etretinate (Tegison), which was used to treat psoriasis but is no longer available in the U.S.
Mayo Clinic Blood Program healthcare professionals only look at your medical record when they need to. Before you donate blood, you must sign an Authorization to Release Protected Health Information form. Donors who are 16 or 17 years old need a parent or guardian to sign their forms. If you have questions about keeping your health information private, contact the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program.
Nationwide blood shortages affect the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program and other donation centers. A simple blood donation can save a child with leukemia, help a person with cancer feel stronger or give life-saving support to someone hurt in an accident. Every donation makes a big difference. Your gift can help save lives when it's needed most.
When you donate blood through the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Program, you’re helping people in your community. Your blood is used at local hospitals in Minnesota for people who need transfusions. One donation can help up to three people.

Blood is used in many ways. It can help someone who lost a lot of blood in an accident, during surgery or after a transplant. It also helps people who can’t make enough blood cells because of illness or medical treatment.
Currently, there is no lab-made blood approved by the Food and Drug Administration. All blood transfusions in the U.S. rely entirely on human donors. That’s why the blood supply must be refilled all the time. At Mayo Clinic, donated platelets can be stored and used for up to five days. Donated red blood cells can be stored and used for up to 42 days.
When you donate blood, you help save lives — and there are a few benefits for you, too:

Brief health checkup. Before you give blood, a healthcare professional checks your temperature, blood pressure and pulse and does a hemoglobin test to make sure it’s safe for you to give blood. After donating, your blood is tested to find out your blood type.

Small thank-you gifts. First-time donors, regular donors and people who reach special milestones may receive small gifts of thanks.

Easy to schedule and find a location. You can donate blood at a local blood drive in your community or at Mayo Clinic donation centers in Jacksonville, Florida, and Rochester, Minnesota.

Donation options. You can choose how you want to donate, such as whole blood or apheresis. Each donation type has different eligibility requirements and appointment lengths, so you can select the option that works for you.
No. You should not donate blood if you think you might have a serious infection such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV. All donated blood is tested for certain infections. But these tests are not the same tests used to diagnose an illness. Donating blood just to get tested is not allowed.

If you want to get tested for an infection, you can go to your healthcare professional, a community health clinic or a public health department. If you live in Olmsted County, Minnesota, contact Olmsted County Public Health Services for testing options.
It’s common to feel nervous, especially if you’re donating for the first time. But fainting before, during or after giving blood is rare. Staff members are trained to keep you safe and make sure you have a good experience.

It might help if you try not to look at the needle or blood. While you donate, you can use the internet, listen to music, watch TV or enjoy a movie to help you relax.
Blood is made up of red blood cells, platelets and plasma. When you donate whole blood, you give a mix of all these parts.

With apheresis donation, a machine takes out just one or two parts of your blood, such as platelets or plasma, and returns the rest to you.

Apheresis takes a little longer, but you can donate more often than with whole-blood donation.
Contact the blood donor center or your healthcare professional if you:

Forgot to report any important health information.

Have symptoms of an illness within 14 days after your blood donation.