NHS England - blood donation if you are transgender

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

It seems their policy is to test haemoglobin under the gender people identify as rather than the sex they actually are

As has been pointed out - haemoglobins won’t change if someone just identifies as a different gender

Who are the people in charge of this stuff?

@Gingernaut

Many trans men may be turned away from donor clinics as their lesser haemoglobin levels will not meet the male standard

Any trans man who has been pregnant in the past (may have miscarried or given birth), may have antibodies in his blood that will pose a risk to a male recipient.

What is the minimum hemoglobin level needed for donating? To help ensure that it is safe for you to donate, females must have a minimum hemoglobin level of 12.5g/dL and males must have a minimum level of 13.0g/dL.

The difference is really minor. There is no magical "man" blood and "woman" blood.

And anyone who has had a baby can donate blood (recommended is to wait 9 months after having given birth, or 3 months after weaning).

Bergamotte - since donating blood is an altruistic act, I would expect trans men or women to mention the drugs they are taking. Wouldn't you?

Cwenthryth thanks for your posts, really helpful.

Yes, Catherina, I would certainly hope they would.

One third of HiV carriers in the UK are cisgender women. How many do you think are transwomen in comparison and who is most likely to be aware of their HiV status?

They test all donated blood for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis and HTLV, and possibly others. (They are also very clear that if you think you are at risk, you should not donate and go and get tested elsewhere.)

You're also restricted from donating if you have recently had injections, including stuff like dental painkillers, so that would mean people on certain treatments can't donate.

You can donate on some medications, if they're stable.