Is it okay to donate blood to Canadian Blood Service regularly?

Question

Will a person's health be affected if he/she donates blood regularly to Blood services? Some people say that it takes a while for new fresh blood to be replenished into our body once it has been extracted. I did feel slightly dizzy after blood donation but I feel happy that by donating blood, I am actually saving lives.

I noticed that after blood donation usually we are asked to stay behind for half hour and have something sweet to eat and drink before heading back to doing our regular routines daily lives. We were advised not to do any heavy work at least for a good 24 hours or else the needle wounds might start bleeding again. I find that it also depends on the technique the blood phlebotomist uses to draw blood. Sometimes, after blood was drawn, I could go straight back to work without feeling any pain at all. Others are not so good and I do feel slight pain and black veins mark for 24 hours.

Answer 1

It is okay to donate blood regularly if a person is healthy and doesn't fall into any complication after donating blood. Usually you are asked to wait for a few months before you can donate blood again. It is true that after donating blood, one could feel a bit dizzy but that temporary feeling would go away soon after you had something to eat and drink. Drinking beet root soup was thought to be helpful in replenishing blood after donation.

Answer 2

In my view, this is clearly the most important reason. For each unit of blood donated, you lose about one-quarter of a gram of iron.You may at first think this is a bad thing, since too little iron may lead to fatigue, decreased immunity, or iron-deficiency anemia, which can be serious if left untreated. This is common in children and premenopausal women.

So for many, the fact that donating blood helps to rid your body of excess iron is one of the greatest benefits it offers. It has been long known that menstruating women have fewer heart attacks. This was previously thought to be due to hormones but is now thought to be due to lower iron levels.

Answer 3

Thanks for this informative post