How to Donate Platelets

Platelets are the part of your blood that help control bleeding. Patients undergoing bone marrow transplants, surgery or chemotherapy rely on platelet donations to help them recover. If you want to give back to your community or help a family member who needs platelets, donating is a relatively simple process known as apheresis.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine if you meet the health requirements for donation. You must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good general health.

• 2

  Contact the American Red Cross or a local hospital to find a donation site. Contact the facility and schedule an appointment. Donating platelets takes longer than donating blood, so most sites won't take walk-ins.

• 3

  Expect the appointment to take about 2 hours. The good news is that most sites have comfortable chairs and are set up to allow you to watch a movie while you donate.

• 4

  Arrive a little early for your appointment. Complete a health history with a member of the staff. The staff member needs to ask you questions about your past and current health. They also explain the donation procedure to you.

• 5

  Be prepared to have a needle inserted into each arm. Your blood is drawn out through one arm, run through a machine to separate out the platelets and then returned to your body through the other arm.

• 6

  Tell a staff member if you get cold. A lot of donors get cold during the process. The location probably has blankets and even hand warmers on hand. Tell a staff member if you feel unwell at any time during the process.

• 7

  Schedule another appointment if this one went well and you want to donate again. It is possible to donate platelets more often than you donate whole blood because your platelets are replenished in as little as 48 hours. However, this probably isn't the best schedule if you want to donate regularly. If you are interested in donating regularly, every 2 weeks is generally a good routine.