In a hospital, a woman is at peace lying in a medical chair, donating blood to help another person.
Blood donation, as one knows, is an imperative and a life-saving service. But it is interesting to see that a country like India, with 1.4 billion people, fails to utilize even a minor segment of the populace for this noble cause, especially women. In this culture, despite all the awareness and education, there are several misconceptions that prevent them from coming forward, especially regarding periods.
Can women donate blood during menstruation? This seems to be a question still hanging in the air, with cultural taboos and the false belief that donation will cause weakness, making them not come forth. The answer remains the same: a woman can donate blood during her periods if she is healthy and has no specific issues; this is just an irrelevant factor.
One commonly believed fact throughout India is that women cannot donate blood during menstruation. This concept exists in the minds of the Indian public due to the misunderstanding that menstruation causes heavy blood loss, and the woman may be weak and hence, not able to donate blood.
Although this seems a bit understandable, it's not totally based on scientific facts. Most women have very little blood loss during their period, which does not affect the normal bodily processes; the woman remains healthy and eligible to donate blood.
There are actual reasons why women cannot donate blood, and they include factors like
A healthy woman having none of these underlying conditions is perfectly eligible for donating blood even during menstruation. If there are certain symptoms like
Then the woman could wait to donate blood, not for any serious medical reasons but rather out of concern for personal comfort.
This myth can be found quite early since very little awareness regarding menstruation exists among people, and the issue is generally kept hidden. Even within families or in schools, menstrual health is considered a topic of discussion, and it is kept a secret.
Consequently, information about menstrual health and its role in blood donation is not given, leading to certain misconceptions among people. Gradually, these misconceptions are turned into a set idea that prevents women from donating blood.
Along with all this, it can be seen that a lot of shame or fear is also involved, along with social stigma. Several women may hesitate because they think they might be judged, or be in an embarrassing situation, or develop medical problems due to false information.
Correcting such false beliefs with proper knowledge and education can resolve all these things so that women also feel empowered and ready to save a life through blood donation, and that is by knowing that periods are a normal physiological aspect of life and not a hindrance to donating blood.
Blood donation guidelines in India do not deem menstruation to be an obstacle to blood donation. The average blood lost during periods ranges from about 30-80mL a month, and this is much less compared to blood donated during blood donation (approx 350-450mL).
An average healthy woman's body should be able to compensate for this loss and continue donation if other donation criteria are met.
With a stethoscope on her neck, the doctor holds a blood container, representing its importance for health.
The primary health condition determining whether a person can donate blood or not is their hemoglobin level. For women in India, hemoglobin must be a minimum of 12.5g/dL to be eligible for blood donation.
The majority of Indian women have low hemoglobin levels due to iron deficiency, which is the reason why screenings are mandatory for all blood donations. Donation during periods is not a contraindication as long as the hemoglobin levels are satisfactory.
The average human adult body contains 4-5liters of blood. Donation of 350-450mL is less than 10% of the total blood volume and can usually be replaced in 24-48 hours for plasma and in 3-4 weeks for red blood cells. Menstruation does not affect the rate of blood replenishment as much.
Although medically allowed, a woman should consider how she feels before donating blood. During heavy menstrual bleeding (>80mL) or if there are symptoms like:
It would be prudent to postpone donation until they subside.
Every blood donation results in a loss of approximately 200-250mg of iron. With women already losing iron through periods, they should maintain adequate nutritional status and allow the recommended interval of 3-4 months between blood donations.
Blood donation by a woman during menstruation is medically harmless and should not be discriminated against based on beliefs or stigma. A healthy woman can donate blood during her period if screened appropriately, especially for her hemoglobin levels.
It is not health concerns but superstitions and taboos that become roadblocks for many women. Educating them will undoubtedly make more women come forth to support the noble cause of blood donation, leading to its increased availability.
Hands are held under a floating drop of blood and symbolize donation and bringing life to others.
1. The Hans India: https://www.thehansindia.com/featured/women/periods-pregnancy-myths-whats-stopping-indian-women-from-donating-blood-979649
3. Mathrubhumi: https://english.mathrubhumi.com/lifestyle/women/donate-blood-periods-myths-doctors-ybga0d84
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