Blood donor questions, revamped.

 One of the curious things about donating blood is that you are asked about your sex life. Last Thursday the Stanford Blood Center  implemented the updated FDA blood donation guidelines known as the Individual Donor Assessment, emphasizing a more equitable and inclusive donor assessment process.  

"As of Thursday, October 19, Stanford Blood Center (SBC) has implemented the updated FDA blood donation guidelines, which eliminate questions based on sexual orientation. 

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About the Individual Donor Assessment (IDA)
"The new process focuses on assessing all donors equally, regardless of gender, reflecting a data-driven approach to maintaining blood safety. This ensures fairness and recognizes that infectious diseases can affect anyone. Ultimately, a thorough donor history questionnaire and extensive testing remain in place to ensure the safety of our blood supply.

The Changes
"Previously, a man who had sex with another man within the last three months was deferred for three months following their last sexual encounter. Additionally, a woman was deferred in the past three months if she had sex with a man who had sex with another man in the past three months. Individuals were assessed based on the gender they identified with, and nonbinary individuals were evaluated using both criteria.

Under the new guidance, the FDA recommends an “individual donor risk assessment” approach that does not depend on gender or sexual orientation, and all donors will be asked the same questions about high-risk sexual behavior. More specifically, any donor who reports having a new partner or more than one partner in the past three months will be asked a follow-up question about anal sex. If anal sex with a new partner or multiple partners is reported in the past three months, the donor will be deferred for three months following the sexual encounter.

The new guidance also requires a three-month deferral for anyone who has taken an oral PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) or PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) medication to prevent HIV transmission. A two-year deferral is required if an injectable, long-acting PrEP or PEP medication is taken. A permanent deferral remains for anyone with a history of HIV infection."