Why can't people under 110 lb. just give a smaller amount of blood?

I would think it’s because the blood supply is managed in standarized units of just under one US pint. Blood is ordered up for patients in terms of so many units, so they need to be the same size.

I think they need a full pint when they use the blood for transfusions. They need uniformity so they can grab one quickly in an emergency instead of deciding what amount is appropriate for the patient. Also what @Harp said about non-emergency orders as well.

To extend the question… since 1 pint increments are needed for uniformity, why not mix the matching blood of multiple donors into 1 pint packages as needed?

@robmandu The blood industry has to maintain strict traceability standards that lead back to specific donors. ISTB 128 is becoming the standard system for tracking a specific unit of blood through the system.

Those are some intense eligibility requirements. But, I thought everyone had Epstein Barr in their system??

To answer your question…they just don’t want to risk it. Gain some weight :p Also, if you’re under 19 apparently you have to be 5’6 or taller. Weird.
I can’t donate either. Regardless of the pregnancy, I live with someone with Hep C…which is silly. It’s so hard to transmit it!

I can’t donate due to the fact that my arteries are too small. My hypothesis would be that most people under that weight, would have the same physical condition that I have.

I cannot donate (last I checked) because I lived in western Europe in the 80’s.

There are plenty of ways to help out in the community and volunteer programs. “feeling left out” because of a blood drive is just silly. Find another way to contribute.

I agree with @MrItty. Could you volunteer at the blood drive (sign people up, give out the juice & cookies-etc)?

@MrItty, @SpatzieLover Hey, you guys are right. Wonder why I never thought of that. But I’m not actually sure if I can; volunteering takes a lot more time than donating blood. Maybe I’ll try to give money to the Red Cross instead.

I generally find it takes about an hour, from going to the site, reading the mandatory paperwork that says everything you already know. filling out the questionaire, actually getting bled, sitting there with your juice and cookies, and going back to home/work/school. Surely you can find a soup kitchen or other organization that could use an hour of your time, no?

Interesting. I wanted to know that too. I’m not much more than 110 and all throughout high school when we had opportunities to donate, I was under 110 and definitely under 5’6”. A friend of mine who was like 115 or so donated blood and said it took her forever to get out that dazed feeling (longer than everyone else) and she ended up skipping the last few periods of class because of that. Kinda freaked me out from wanting to try it. Maybe if I become a little bigger I’ll give it a shot… :P

I cheated to make a weight of 113lbs and they did take a smaller amount because the weight was too close to the minimum. Did I get light headed and naseaus?

@hungryhungryhortence I don’t know…did you?

@wildpotato: part of my sentence didn’t take during the submit. The answer is yes, I got laid a bit low by giving blood but I had wanted to for so many years and just went for it. The last time I tried, they wouldn’t let me, stricter weight conditions and parameters for acceptable iron in the blood when they do the prick test.