I don't understand this...

[birdling]

I keep hearing radio adverts asking for males who have recently had Covid to donate blood plasma, in order to help other patients with their antibodies (or something like that).

Why just males though?
They don't say on the advert and I'm confused how the sex of the donor makes any difference.
I have no issue with it, but just wondered why.

Blood plasma transfusions are almost always from males, not just in this instance.

info.uwe.ac.uk/news/uwenews/news.aspx?id=2795

"It is possible that antibodies produced during pregnancy may be a trigger for some transfusion related reactions though the evidence for this is uncertain. UK policy makers decided therefore that to avoid this potential risk all women's plasma would be discarded regardless of whether or not they had been pregnant or had produced harmful antibodies. In contrast male plasma is presumed to be safer."

I got sent a message to donate my plasma as I had a positive test, but on application I got rejected because my blood volume (based on height/weight) was too low. Maybe that's why they are seeking males predominantly, as they (tend to) be taller and bigger and therefore have more total blood? For me at 5'7 I had to be 11.5 stone or more to get through the application process

Ah, I see. Both of those explanations make sense

When DP was rung about it, they said it’s because men have bigger veins so it’s easier to get 🤷🏼‍♀️

I was rejected because I take iron tablets long-term, to avoid anaemia, not because I am currently anaemic. The guy on the phone couldn’t understand what I was saying though. It was a bad line and he struggled to understand me.

@BurningEars

When DP was rung about it, they said it’s because men have bigger veins so it’s easier to get 🤷🏼‍♀️

Really, I have veins fit for a vampire.

I've heard (in another thread) that to remove plasma you do need big strong veins as they put part of the blood back in during the process (not like giving blood) so that does make sense.
Shame because I would have like to be involved, apparently it's used to actually treat people with coronavirus not for research

It worries me that they are dismissing perfectly good donors. I tried.

They are asking for women to volunteer. I did. However many

A) won't have enough blood volume, as the example above, or

B) won't have been ill enough to produce enough antibodies, as males tend to get worse symptoms.

Donating plasma involves being hooked up to the machine for 45 minutes. Women find it hard to sit still for that long, but men just imagine they are on the toilet.

Despite turning me down the other day, they have emailed me today and asked me to apply to donate 🙄

my cousin (mid 50s) donated plasma after she had covid, she had useful antibodies she was told