Basic Eligibility

Please note that this information is subject to change. Final eligibility determination rests with the screening staff at the donor clinic.

Identification
Identification with full name and signature, or full name and photograph required.

Age
To donate, you must be at least 17 years of age, in general good health, and feeling well on the day of your donation. If you have never donated before and have had your 61st birthday, or if you are between the ages of 67 and 71, and have not donated within the last two years, you must be assessed by a physician who must fill out and sign the following letter. You must also meet the other standard requirements for donation. To find out more, please call us at 1 888 2 DONATE.

Letter to the Attending Physician (Please bring the completed letter with you to the clinic when you next come in to donate)

Weight
At least 50 kg (110 lb). Are you between the ages of 17 and 23? Visit our Eligibility Calculator or call 1 888 2 DONATE for additional criteria.

Frequency of Donation
Minimum interval between blood donations is 56 days.

Health
In general good health and feeling well. You should have had something to eat and adequate sleep. You must also meet hemoglobin (iron) requirements (test done at clinic).

Screening
At the time of donation, you will be asked a number of questions to determine your eligibility. For example:

If You Have: You Must Wait Before Donating:

• Had dental treatment (extractions, fillings, cleaning, restoration)
• For cleaning or filling: until the day after treatment
• For extraction, root canal or dental surgery: 72 hours provided there is full recovery
• A cold, flu or sore throat
• Full recovery
• Had ear or body piercing or tattooing
• 6 months

Donating blood does not put you at risk of disease. All needles are sterile, used only once and discarded. The usual blood collection - a "unit" - is about half a litre, or one pint. Your body soon replaces all the blood you donate.

Stem Cells
To be eligible to join the Canadian Blood Services OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, you must:

• Be between 17 and 50 years of age
• Meet certain health-related criteria
• Fall between certain height and weight levels

For more information please call 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283).