Gender-Based Donating
 

Females and Males Play Different Roles in Blood Donation

Every blood donation that is collected at Blood Bank of the Redwoods is separated into components in our biologic laboratory. These components are red blood cells, platelets, and plasma, and they help patients with different needs.

Cancer patients, heart surgery patients and accident victims may need any or all of the different types of blood products to survive. What many people may not know is that a blood donor can donate individual blood components by donating through our apheresis process, which captures the blood components most needed by hospitals at the time. Recent studies have shown that men and women may be more suited to give one type of blood component over another.

Female Blood Donors

Blood centers around the country are asking their female donors to donate red cells, but not platelets or plasma through the apheresis process. Research has found that platelets and plasma from women donors may contribute to a serious yet uncommon complication in blood transfusion called TRALI - Transfusion Related Acute Lung Injury. As a result, blood centers can no longer use plasma donated by women, but they still can donate whole blood and are needed everyday.

Male Blood Donors

Since women’s platelets and plasma can no longer be used for transfusions, the responsibility lands squarely on the shoulders of the men in our community to make up the difference. Our community’s blood supply has already been impacted by the loss of female apheresis donors; men in our community are urged to visit the Santa Rosa blood center to find out more about our Apheresis program, or call 707- 545-1222 ext. 128.


** * Our Current Policy ***

Apheresis donors (female and male) donating before March 2008 will be allowed to continue to donate platelets and red cells by apheresis, provided they are not implicated in a confirmed or probable case of TRALI, Transfusion Related Acute Lung Injury.

BBR is not currently recruiting new female donors into the apheresis platelet donor base until data and research from blood centers and scientific organizations indicate a revision to our TRALI strategy.