I’m in an exclusive relationship, why can’t I donate blood? The Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has visited this issue, and agrees that we are not being discriminatory with our deferral policy for men who have sex with men. Postponements are in place for any number of potential donors who may be more likely to be exposed to infection or present other risks to patients.
No, our policy considers an assessment of risk, and does not discriminate against anyone. Is Lifeblood being discriminatory in making gay men wait 3 months to donate? We use these terms to refer to any sexual activities including vaginal, oral or anal. Some of these questions ask about ‘sexual contact’ and ‘sex’. The third section is a legal declaration for you to fill out, pertaining to specific infection risks such as sexual activity and blood exposures. These two sections are designed to identify possible medical issues in potential donors, as well as general risks of infection. The first looks at the health history of first-time donors and the second is a medical questionnaire for all donors. Our pre-donation screening includes a questionnaire made up of three sections. Our donation criteria, and questions on the donor questionnaire form, are designed to ensure that the blood collection process is as safe as possible for blood donors and patients alike. We'll keep monitoring this, and use data to inform any future recommendations to reduce the wait time further for blood and plasma.Ĭheck out our responses to frequently asked questions related to sexual activity. This is because PrEP impacts the ability of testing to pick up early HIV infection. If you choose to donate blood, you’ll still need to wait 12 months since your last dose. On a related note, if you’ve taken pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV, see if you can plan ahead to donate.įrom 10 October 2021, you’ll need to wait three months since your last dose before you can donate plasma. In the last 12 months, have you had sexual activity with a new partner who currently lives or has previously lived overseas? If ‘yes’, you may need to wait to donate depending on the level of HIV risk in your partner’s country of residence.