Some health conditions, medications, and travel may temporarily or permanently prevent people from donating blood.  All donors must be
in good health, at least 17 years old, and weigh at least 110 pounds to donate blood. If you have questions, contact the nurse manager at
512-206-1108 or donorsuitability@inyourhands.org.

Are you feeling well and healthy today?                                                                                          
Refer to Medications section below to answer donor questions about antibiotics.             Donor must be in good health on day of donation.

 

Medical Conditions

AIDS / HIV Infection or exposure risk factors. For more information, click here.                          Cannot donate

Cancer: 

Leukemia or any hematological malignancy                                                                   Cannot donate

Melanoma                                                                                                                       Cannot donate

Basel Cell                                                                                                                         Acceptable day after removed

Squamous Cell                                                                                                               Acceptable one week after removed

Other cancers, cured, more than 5 years since diagnosis and end of treatment         Acceptable

Chagas’ disease and babesiosis                                                                                                      Cannot donate

Cold or flu symptoms (must be feeling well and healthy)                                                                 24-hour wait

Family history of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) or fatal neurological disease                     Cannot donate

Heart attack                                                                                                                                  12-month wait

Hematocrit is too low (iron level)                                                                                                   1-day wait

Hepatitis or yellow jaundice at age 11 or older                                                                              Cannot donate

Hepatitis exposure or hepatitis B immune globulin shot                                                                 12-month wait

Pregnancy                                                                                                                                       6-week wait

 
Syphilis or gonorrhea                                                                                                                      12-month wait

West Nile Virus, no longer symptomatic                                                                                        120-day wait

Received a blood transfusion, skin graft or tissue transplant.
Tissue transplant includes: bone, stem cell or bone marrow, veins, or heart valves                      12-month wait

Ever received a cornea transplant                                                                                             Cannot donate

Received dura mater graft (brain covering graft)                                                                       Cannot donate

Heart surgery due to heart attack                                                                                             12-month wait

Received human growth hormone prior to 1985                                                                  Cannot donate

Have a pacemaker or implanted defibrillator                                                                              Cannot donate

 

Medications

Accutane (Amnesteem, Claravis, Sotret)                                                                                       1-month wait after completion

Acitretin (Soriatane)                                                                                                                      3-year wait after completion

Antibiotics for an infection                                                                                                            Day after completion with no signs or symptoms

Aspirin or any aspirin-containing product                                                                                      Apheresis Platelets: 48-hours, Whole Blood: No wait

Avodart (Dutasteride)                                                                                                                   6-month wait after completion

Beef insulin                                                                                                                                   Call nurse manager at 206-1108

Coumadin(Warfarin)                                                                                                                      2-weeks after completion

Etretinate (Tegison)                                                                                                                     Cannot donate

Plavix                                                                                                                                             Apheresis Platelets: 2 weeks, Whole Blood: No wait

Proscar (Finasteride), Propecia                                                                                                    1-month wait after completion

Travel to Iraq                                                                                                                                    12-month wait

Travel to a Malaria area                                                                                                                  12-month wait

Immigrating from a Malaria area (moving to US)                                                                             3-year wait

Cumulative of 3 months or more has been spent in the United Kingdomfrom 1980 to
1996. United Kingdom (UK) is defined as England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland,
Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Gibraltar, and the Falkland Islands. The Republic of Ireland
is not included in the definition of the UK but is included in the definition of Europe.                       Cannot donate

Received a transfusion of blood, platelets, plasma, cryoprecipitate, or granulocytes in
the United Kingdom since 1980                                                                                                    Cannot donate

Cumulative of 5 years or more in Europe (including time spent in the UK from 1980 to 1996)       Cannot donate

Were a member of the US Military, a civilian military employee, or a dependent of a
member of the US Military from 1980 to 1996 and spent a cumulative of 6 months or
more associated with a military base in any of the following countries: Belgium,
The Netherlands or Germany (1980 to 1990); Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy or
Greece (1980 to 1996).                                                                                                                  Cannot donate

Flu shots                                                                                                                                        Acceptable

Smallpox vaccination                                                                                                                    8-week wait

Other vaccines                                                                                                                            Call nurse manager at 206-1108

Unlicensed vaccines                                                                                                                  1-year wait

Ear/Body piercing: performed under sterile conditions, in a licensed Texastattoo
facility, with a single use device (must be healed, no sign of infection)                                            Acceptable

Ear/Body piercing: NOT performed under sterile conditions, done in prison, at home,
by a friend, or in another state or country                                                                                       12-month wait

Jailed for 3 or more consecutive days                                                                                            12-month wait

Tattoo: applied in a licensed Texas tattoo facility with use of sterile
needles and ink (must be healed, no sign of infection)                                                                     Acceptable

Tattoo: applied in prison, at home or by a friend, or in another state or country                         12-month wait