Male asked if I am pregnant when donating blood

[slipperypenguin]

I am a GC male. I am a regular blood donor, but today for the first time I was specifically asked by the nurse to confirm if I am / could possibly be pregnant.

I laughed as I thought she was joking as I felt it was obvious I am a biological male and therefore could not possibly be pregnant, but she told me they were "inclusive" and had to confirm.

This was in Scotland at a regular blood donor clinic.

Am I just out of touch with the times or is the world gone man? I can confirmed that I am a male yet am forced to answer this question in order to donate.

You're a medic and believe that babies are "assigned" a sex at birth? If that were the case then every parent could choose the sex they wanted, unless it's the midwife who chooses, or a sorting hat.

And if you breezily ask 10 year old girls and their families if they might be pregnant I presume you also breezily ask the 10 year old boys and their families too, and if not why not?

@HermioneKipper im sorry you feel like I’m gaslighting you, but I was just pointing out there is a risk of error by using your technique. I use my eyes and ears regularly throughout my day and I can’t always tell.

We need more blood.

We need more people to give blood.

Does this (could you be pregnant sir?) question mean we are likely to get more blood donated, or less?

Do medical records actually say someone is male if they are female but identify as men? I would have thought that is extremely dangerous. Surely biological sex is crucial to record in medicine.

Absolutely. It is potentially dangerous to an unconscious transperson for them to be treated as the wrong sex. It's not just things like missed ectopics, but even different ranges for all sorts of tests. Different presentations of the same illnesses dependent upon sex.

@TheCallOfTheMild ive already said I was trying to differentiate between biological sex and documented sex.
children are not able to change the sex documented on their medical record so I don’t need to ask 10year old boys because I can be certain that their sex is correct. Adults can change the sex on their medical records, receive a new nhs number so it’s not so clear cut

Got it, thanks for clarifying

What is GC?

And because of this, every single person must be asked certain extra questions? Wouldn't it make more sense to correct the problem of some individuals not giving their biological sex in their records? After all, the first-mentioned group is huge, the second-mentioned group is tiny.

GC = gender critical. Basically anyone that recognises that human biology matters when it comes to sex.

I'm pretty certain the iron levels for blood donation are different for male/female so it's ridiculous they can tell that but not of you have the capacity to be pregnant or not 😫

Question on the form: What is your biological sex please? Female... that's fine, now are you pregnant or do you think you might be?

Question: What is your biological sex please? Male, that's fine, thank you.

Please note if you are or think you are pregnant an x-ray could affect the foetus. Any blood donation you make if pregnant could be dangerous to biological male recipients. Thank you.

Or along those lines. Surely makes sense to have bio sex recorded, or is that too sensible.

Valid question. You can define as pregnant.

@nocoolnamesleft Thanks.

I actually thought it was that as I couldn't think of anything else it could stand for.

I still don't know what it means though.

Is the issue that those in this situ do not agree or believe that biological sex exists and therefore it can't be answered? (Not trying to play devils advocate I genuinely don't know?)

I would of said yes there’s a chance and asked them for a pregnancy test. Ridiculous

Or possibly "I don't know. How would I tell?"

@nepeta probably.
But that’s the way it currently is so what can the staff dealing with this situation do but ask the questions?

There are lots of questions medics have to ask and tick despite the information being 'there in the notes' - they need a confirmation

A simple form question isn't attacking anyone here. If someone asked my partner if he was pregnant his answer would be 'no', simply because he is not. If someone asked my friend if she was pregnant the answer would be 'no' also because she's not.

I guess in that situation I would have been refused to donate blood.

I think that's why this is of concern to me also - it feels like this is only going to reduce the number of people who will donate blood because they refuse to answer the question.

The trouble is this ideology is accepted by people who should know better, and then they pass the problem on to the people they are supposed to be in a position of authority over. It is abuse.

Which is fine - but also is it the norm to miss sections in forms which aren't applicable to you. Similar to how I am able to miss sections in the form about sexual health if I answer certain questions.

In future tell them you haven't had a period for a while so can't be sure.

I'm just trying to imagine a woman who identifies as a man who is happy to carry a baby and give birth. There's a hell of a lot of cognitive dissonance going on there.

www.scotblood.co.uk/media/2828/sc59-natf-155-18-dsr-mar-2022-a4-sample.pdf

it’s just a question on the form, you could have been a 60+ woman who went through the menopause ten years ago and you would still have to answer. You’re making something out of nothing.