Yes, you can donate blood on TRT in most cases.
For instance, the American Red Cross will accept donations from TRT patients under the following conditions:
- A written doctors note allowing the donation
- Eligible levels of hemoglobin, hematocrit, and iron
- Sharing of treatment details such as dosages and most recent bloodwork
Donating blood can become an essential part of testosterone replacement therapy for many. This is due to testosterone’s ability to increase red blood cell production. These increased red blood cells will thicken the blood to unacceptable levels if left unchecked. Blood donation can decrease the amount of red blood cells thus decreasing hemoglobin and lower hematocrit levels.
High hematocrit levels can prove to be quite stubborn as evidenced in the Transfusion study. The study showed that “(44%) had persistently elevated hemoglobin levels (≥180 g/L) at subsequent donations. These data also suggest that repeat blood donation was insufficient to maintain a hematocrit below 54%. Our findings raise concerns about the persistent risk of vascular events in these donors, particularly when coupled with the misperception by patients and health care providers that donation has reduced or eliminated the risks of TRT-induced polycythemia.”
Summary:
Donating blood on TRT is acceptable and might have additional health benefits. In addition, blood donations may not solve the issue of high hematocrit levels in some patients.
Chin-Yee B, Lazo-Langner A, Butler-Foster T, Hsia C, Chin-Yee I. Blood donation and testosterone replacement therapy. Transfusion. 2017 Mar;57(3):578-581. doi: 10.1111/trf.13970. Epub 2017 Feb 1. PMID: 28150363.
