Male asked if I am pregnant when donating blood

@ReunitedThorns I’m not sure what you mean. They ask the questions so that they can see if they will be able to use the blood. Have hiv, cancer or hepatitis no point wasting time donating. Are you pregnant, had a tattoo, had a new partner and had anal? come back in a few months. None of these things seems unreasonable questions before donating.

Yes - deliberately inaccurate medical records are a problem.

The NHS could have gone with accurately recording sex and recording if someone is trans. Instead they have changed the records so that it looks like they are the sex that they are not and have no way of knowing if that is correct, even if they look at the patient.

I think small numbers and privacy was always the reasoning but WishIwas is correct that there are quite large numbers in their 20s who identify as trans with variable amounts of 'treatment' and not all with a GRC, so the system is broke.

Which is why they are now asking men if they are pregnant. 🤦‍♀️

I think thats what he's got offended about, that they havent validated his manliness and have asked him a question he deems only befitting of a woman.

I mean if a 90 year old woman was asked if she was or could be pregnant you wouldnt get a massive outrage thread about it, even tho her dob was evident on her notes.

This is the problem I have with "gender critical men" - they are turning into the new "male feminists".

There are good reasons for people to be gender critical, being mildly inconvenienced by being asked an unnecessary question isnt one of them.

That's fair, although I thought that there were limitations on how much they could ask. Essentially looking at the past 6 months etc.

Essentially the question is, should you be forced to answer any question just because it says "blood donation".

If more people refuse to answer ridiculous questions and the NHS sees a drop in donations it may force the NHS to change their policies, and may actually lead to better data recording and better patient safety.

If they ask you again next time, say “Yes” with a straight face, and then just see how they react.

As above. It's not about being offended. It's about far more than that - from the mangling of statistics to render them meaningless to the potential death of a transperson due to the incorrect sex being recorded on their NHS records.

Sex should be recorded accurately and they should go by that.

Maybe she thought you were a trans man?

ImustLearn2Cook
For everyone who is offended by simply being asked if you’re pregnant when you very clearly appear to be male and every person who has been offended by
@Wishiwasatailor and @Cactusprick previous posts, can you not see a problem with your being so easily offended?

You are assuming people are feeling offended, we aren't. Its ridiculous and dangerous for healthcare providers to pretend humans can change sex.

@HermioneKipper no worries 😊
I agree there needs to be a way of ensuring there is some sort of identification. Transmen who have their sex changed on medical records no longer automatically invited for smears so it is a health concern. As previous posters said there are different parameters for tests too
im not an expert in blood transfusions but men and women on synthetic hormones hrt and testosterone for endocrine issues are not excluded from donating blood as far as I’m aware.

@BananaBan I agree but you seem to be going for the wrong people here, doctors and nurses are required in their job to ask these questions. The decision to be inclusive is made by people well above them in the pecking order and it's either ask everyone the pregnancy question, call everyone 'they' until a patient explicitly tells you otherwise or lose your job for misconduct. It's absolutely unreal and it's happening everywhere.

This is harming society, harming science and harming vulnerable children who are being fed this. You know of course that the vast vast majority of children who apparently identify as trans are vulnerable girls from abusive backgrounds and/or with diagnosed or suspected ASD

It is not 'trans' most of the time its other MH or trauma issues which are being brushed aside and ignored in favour of 'being trans'. Gender stereotypes are being reinforced and cemented more rigidly. If you're a girl who isnt all giggly, fluffy, pink and subservient then you're a boy or non binary, thats what kids are hearing these days. Or if you're a boy that likes make up and sparkles you're a girl.

I'm no expert but if someone is there for his prostate exam then I don't think that he's likely to be pregnant.

@Delphinium20 there’s been some miscommunication. The uncertainty is from the medical team - an unconscious 60y male they can be confident they are male. An unconscious 20y male staff might need to consider whether they could be female and check

No you are right on the platelets. That's men only. Biological men though, not women who don't fit the stereotype.

For everyone who is offended by simply being asked if you’re pregnant when you very clearly appear to be male and every person who has been offended by
@Wishiwasatailor and @Cactusprick previous posts, can you not see a problem with your being so easily offended?

I agree that the easily offended feelings of trans community and their supporters is causing some very concerning changes.

But how is being just as easily offended in retaliation going to help?

Be objective and remain rational. Don’t fall into the I’m offended, I’m going to get angry and retaliate or make a mountain out of a molehill and miss the real issues.

After reading about the issues presented by the fact that people can change their biological sex on their birth certificates, I now understand why medical professionals have to ask this seemingly ridiculous question. It also highlights the real issues that need to be addressed.

Don’t impulsively react. Carefully consider how to respond.

@CharityShopChic apologies I’ve done some (quick) reading and there were previously some concerns regarding blood products however in 2019 study showed that red blood cells from
previously pregnant women are fine, however there’s still some concerns re platelets and many countries do not accept platelet’s from women who have been pregnant.
I couldn’t find any clear guidance in England but Scotland is not currently recruiting women for platelets and RoI doesn’t accept any women who’s been pregnant for platelets.

man in his 60s can be pretty confident about his sex, man in his early 20s not as confident.

My first thought was

But now I'm just LMAO. Those poor, confused 20 something men, so lacking in penis confidence. .

@Wishiwasatailor

Sorry for being facetious. If you say you deal with this a lot and it’s genuinely difficult to tell then you’re right.

But surely the issue should be that it’s actually dangerous for medical records to be changed for these confused, deluded individuals who believe you can change your sex.

Plenty of TW on Twitter genuinely seem to believe they’ll be able to get pregnant at some point. It’s terrifying.

Also I’d potentially be concerned about TW’s blood. Can all the cross sex hormones they’re taking affect anything?

Never been asked how many pregnancies i've had. I would imagine that the wee barcodes they attach to the blood says what the blood can be used for. I am +ve for cytomegalovirus, for example (most adults are) and my blood is therefore not suitable for infants. Doesn't mean they don't want it at all though as it's useful for many other groups.

@ReunitedThorns pretty sure they do ask for relevant sexual history.

Sexual history can be a sign post to potential for being HIV+, lifestyle questions can also be an indicator of activity that could affect the blood.

I have family members who were asked their sexual orientation when booking a covid jab. Completely irrelevant to the activity but asked as part of the NHS's data mining activity. They also record when individuals refused to answer the question.

Essentially you're saying that the NHS should be allowed to ask whatever they want if the aim is to get more blood donations.

@Cactusprick thank you 😊

So, you would fill in a form asking for you to record how you'd voted in previous elections, so long as it had Blood Donation Service at the top?

Exactly this. Think about who would benefit. Do something amazing and save a life. 🙂