You must never give blood if:
- you are HIV positive or receiving treatment for HIV
- you are HTLV positive
- you are a Hepatitis B carrier
- you are a Hepatitis C carrier
- you have ever been treated for Syphilis
- you have ever injected, or been injected with, drugs; even a long time ago or only once. This applies to any illicit injected drug, including body-building drugs, chemsex drugs and tanning agents.
- you have ever had sex with someone who has previously had a viral haemorrhagic fever (eg Ebola, Marburg, Lassa, or Crimean-Congo fever)
You must not donate:
- if you think you need a test for HIV/AIDS, HTLV or Hepatitis.
You must not donate for at least three months after:
- having sex with a partner who is, or you think may be:
- HIV or HTLV positive
- a Hepatitis B carrier
- a Hepatitis C carrier
- having sex with a partner who has ever received money or drugs for sex
- receiving money or drugs for sex
- taking Post Exposure Prophylaxis or oral Pre Exposure Prophylaxis(PEP and oral PrEP/Truvada®) to prevent HIV infection. Different rules may apply depending on the reason you took this so please ask.
- taking part in chemsex (Chemsex is a specific type of sexual activity where people take certain stimulant drugs to let them have sex for longer and with more people. Drugs associated with chemsex include methamphetamine, mephedrone and GHB)
If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you will not be eligible to give blood for up to three months.
You must not donate for at least two years if:
- you have received an injection for Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection.
Other questions
You will also be asked whether over the last three months you have:
- had sex with someone new, or resumed a previous or infrequent sexual relationship
- had sex with more than one person
If you answer ‘yes’ to either (or both) questions, you will then be asked if you had anal sex with any of your sexual partners
- If you have, you will not be able to donate for up to three months
- If you have not had anal sex, you will be able to donate (subject to all other eligibility criteria)
If you would like to discuss any of the above, do not hesitate to get in touch on 0345 90 90 999
If these issues affect you, please visit the Our Partners section of our site for contact details of organisations that may be able to help.