Donors can donate once they have reached their 17th birthday. 1st time donors can donate up to their sixty-sixth birthday. Regular donors (i.e. those who give at least one donation in a two year period) can continue to donate beyond 70 years, provided they remain otherwise fit and well.

Weight

• Donors should weigh at least 50kg (7 stone 12 pounds).
• If you are a female & aged less than 20 years old additional height and weight criteria apply. We need to estimate your blood volume before deciding if you can donate.
• There is no upper weight limit. However, our donation beds will safely accommodate a donor weighing up to 25 stone (158kg).

Blood Count

• Donors need to have an adequate haemoglobin (blood count) to donate.
• Haemoglobin levels have been set at 125 g/l for females and 135 g/l for males.
• Donors will have their blood count checked each time they come to donate. We do this by taking a tiny drop of blood from the fingertip.

How often can I donate blood?

• Female donors can give blood every 16 weeks (every 4 months or 3 times in a 12 month period).
• Male donors can now give blood every 12 weeks (every 3 months or 4 times in a 12 month period).
• NIBTS will however continue to send out invitations to both male and female donors approximately every 16 weeks.

The difference in donation frequency relates specifically to lower iron levels in women. Whilst a donor's blood volume is restored within a few hours, it can take eight weeks to restore the iron lost after donating. Replacing this iron through diet alone can take a long time, especially with other concurrent losses, for example, menstruation in women.