Is it possible to give blood during menstruation?

Young girls are often interested in the question of whether it is possible to donate blood during menstruation, and if not, why not. It all depends on what is being analyzed and what is the purpose of the study.

What should be considered when performing a blood test during menstruation?

In fact, there are no contraindications to conducting such a study during this period. However, if it is a matter of donation, then doctors do not recommend taking blood donation with menstruation. The thing is that in this period there is a decrease in the total hemoglobin level in the blood, which negatively affects the overall well-being of the girl. Additional blood loss as a result of donation can only exacerbate the situation.

In order to understand whether it is possible to take a blood test for menstruation, it is necessary to know what exactly happens to the female body during menstruation. As a rule, during this process, the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR) increases. Therefore, if the doctor does not know that during the woman's blood supply, she had a period of time, he can accept a change in this parameter for the inflammatory process.

In addition, any blood test during menstruation, provided that the blood is taken from the vein, can be distorted due to increased blood coagulability. With the collection of material, the blood can simply fold, and the results of the analysis will turn out to be incorrect. In the results of a general blood test with monthly in the first days of the cycle, hemoglobin and erythrocytes can rise, and then fall off.

When can I donate blood for analysis?

From girls, doctors often hear a question about whether it is possible to donate blood directly before menstruation or better to do it later.

Most experts of gynecologists hold the opinion that it is possible to donate blood for analysis after 3-5 days after the menstrual period. It is this time that is necessary for the blood indicators to take their former significance.

So, for example, as mentioned above, hemoglobin decreases during menstruation due to loss of blood. This activates the blood coagulation system, which leads to an increase in such an index as viscosity. For this reason, biochemical analysis, in which the above-mentioned indicator is taken into account, results may be distorted.

In addition to the above, the blood of a woman during menstruation changes the content of platelets. This is due to the activation of the same coagulation system. Thus, the body tries to protect itself from excessive blood loss. Therefore, when performing a general blood test, the platelet count will be below normal, which in another situation can be regarded as internal bleeding, for example.

What are the rules to adhere to a woman before giving blood?

Like any other medical research, a blood test requires some preparation. The following rules must be observed:

  1. You can give blood only 3-5 days after the menstrual period.
  2. On the eve, about 10-12 hours before the study should stop eating.
  3. Carry out the analysis is necessary in the morning, especially if it is a study on hormones.
  4. You can not smoke immediately before the test - 1-2 hours before the procedure.

Thus, to obtain true, undistorted indicators, a woman must always adhere to the above conditions. This will allow you to get correct results from the first time and eliminate the need for repeated blood sampling. If, however, the parameters of the study do not correspond to the norm, then before the treatment starts, the doctor prescribes a re-surrender to confirm the result.