Did you know that every time you give blood you’re saving a life? In fact, one donation can save up to three lives, according to the American Red Cross.
If that doesn’t have you rolling up your sleeve, consider the fact that every two seconds someone in America needs blood because of an accident, disease or surgery. That means you or someone you love could benefit from a donation at some point in your life. But blood is often in short supply because it has to be donated — we can’t make it in a lab or pool resources from the cast of “True Blood” (unfortunately).
Now that you’re aware of this life-saving super power, make an appointment to donate blood and take our quiz to see how much you know before you go.
1. About half of the population in the U.S. donates blood each year.
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false. Only about 3% of Americans give blood. That’s nearly 7 million people, but organizations like the Red Cross and the Association for Blood Donor Professionals say more donors are needed to meet the constant demand.
2. Most eligible people can donate blood 6 times a year.
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true. Most people who can give blood can donate every 56 days, which is six times a year.
3. The process of donating blood takes about one hour.
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true. While the actual blood draw only takes about 10 minutes, there’s paperwork and a general health check (temperature, blood pressure, etc.) before you’re cleared for the blood draw.
4. You can’t give blood if you’re taking birth control pills.
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false. Oral contraceptives — or any type of birth control for that matter — don’t affect your ability to donate blood.
5. You can’t donate blood if you’re pregnant.
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true. People who are pregnant need sufficient levels of iron, and donating blood may cause low levels (anemia), which can harm the health of the baby and the person giving birth. The good news is that most people can start donating blood six weeks after giving birth.
6. Donating blood reduces your risk for cardiovascular disease — the leading cause of death in women and people assigned female at birth in the U.S.
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true. Another upside to giving blood: Research shows donating when eligible and over long periods of time is associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular disease. One study of nearly 160,000 women who donated blood for 10 years found that high-frequency donors (more than 16 donations) were less likely to die from a cardiovascular event compared to less frequent (11 or less) donors.
7. Hormone therapy can impact your ability to give blood.
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false. Hormone therapy, the prescription treatment for menopause symptoms, doesn’t affect your eligibility to donate.
8. You can still give blood if you have a fever.
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false. You should be generally healthy during donation (feeling good, able to breathe through your mouth, etc.) and wait to give blood if you: have a fever, have a cough that brings up phlegm, or are on antibiotics for a sinus, throat or lung infection
9. Your bad-ass tattoo means no donating for you.
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false. But where and when did you get that ink? You should wait three months to donate blood if you got a tattoo in a state that doesn’t regulate tattoo facilities: Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. Reason: to make sure you don’t have hepatitis, which can spread through contact with infected blood.
