THE FOOD AND Drug Administration has approved new blood donation guidelines, a huge step in the right direction.
These recommendations eliminate the decades-old rule that banned men who have sex with men from donating blood, and it could help prevent dangerous blood shortages.
The new guidelines will implement the use of individual risk-based questions instead of sexual orientation to allow or deny blood donation. The questions will be presented to everyone interested in donation, regardless of gender and sexual preference.
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Here's what you should know.
Gay And Bisexual Men Will be Able to Participate in Blood Donation
With this new individual-based approach, more gay and bisexual men will be able to give blood. That's a pretty big deal.
In 1978, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, the FDA put a ban on allowing gay and bisexual men, abbreviated to MSM, meaning men who have sex with men. At the time, doctors were still studying HIV/AIDS, and weren't completely sure how it was transmitted, but knew it was prevalent among MSM.
“We were still trying to figure out the transmission of the virus, and all we knew was that this population was disproportionately impacted,” Marguerita Lightfoot, Ph.D., director of the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies told Men's Health in 2021. LGBTQ activist groups have since been fighting to remove the ban, as science has proved that HIV can be transmitted by anyone.
Now that the proposal is final, MSM now have the opportunity to partake in blood donation, dependent on sexual history. What they will want to know:
You'll Be Asked About Your Sexual History, Regardless of Your Preferences
Questions on sexual history are meant to evaluate the risk of the donor being infected with HIV. They will be asked to all those looking to participate in blood donation.
Some of these questions include:
- Have you ever had HIV?
- Have you had sex with a new partner in the last three months? If yes, have you had anal sex?
- Have you had sex with more than one new partner in the last three months? If yes, have you had anal sex with any of the partners?
- Have you ever exchanged sex for money or drugs?
You Won't Be Able to Give Blood if You've Had Recent Anal Sex
You are allowed to have had multiple partners, but if you have had anal sex with those partners, then you will be disqualified.
Monogamous couples, however, who have been together for longer than three months and have had anal sex are allowed to give blood, which is new. Previously, any couple having anal sex would have been disqualified.
HIV spreads much easier through anal sex than it does from vaginal sex, with receiving partners being at greater risk, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Even if you partake in anal sex and take PrEP, a daily pill that lowers the odds of contracting HIV, you will not be allowed to give blood. According to the new guidelines, while PrEP is effective at preventing HIV, it also delays detection by lab tests, which can result in false negatives when testing donated blood.
You Still Can't Give Blood if You Have Other Medical Conditions
Most of the other guidelines seem to be holding steady. Those who are pregnant or have given birth in the last six weeks are not allowed to give blood.
Piercing and tattoo restrictions still exist, but they have been updated— you cannot give blood if you received them in the last three months. Previously, the deadline was 12 months.
Rules regarding certain medical conditions that omit certain potential donors remain the same. Conditions including blood disorders or cancers, active infections, hepatitis B or C, and more. Those with heart disease may have to defer if they've had angina or a heart attack in the last six months. Check out the guidelines for a complete list.
Cori Ritchey, NASM-CPT is an Associate Health & Fitness Editor at Men's Health and a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. You can find more of her work in HealthCentral, Livestrong, Self, and others.
