Not to get too specific (cuz this is a biohacking forum after all) but the risks are very minimal with woman-on-woman action - for obvious reasons, while man-on-man with B-side action can lead to bleeding and contamination if one of the partners carries something. Or at least thatâs my understanding. I may be wrong.
And yes, the Red Cross wonât accept blood donations if youâve had manly B-side action, for that reason I believe. Itâs been like that in all the countries Iâve lived in. But they wonât accept it if youâve had piercings in the last 4 months either, which makes sense since those things can get infected and stay infected for a long time. What doesnât make sense is that they conflate piercings and implants: implants close up, and once theyâre good theyâre good. But no, they didnât want mine last time.
It was 12 months in the US as well, until 2020 when they changed it to 3 months.
I find it especially odd, given that in a lot of cases, gay men tend to be much more careful with testing than the general population. To be on PrEP, I had to be tested for both HIV and Hepatitis-B every 3 months at a minimum. I also had them run a full blood panel for any other STDs, since I was already paying for blood draws (they asked me at my appointment if I wanted to do run the extra tests).
I donât know any of my straight peers who have been tested for STDs in their entire lives. Yes, their exposure risk for HIV in particular is lower, but other STDs are still prevalent.
As far as I know, they test all of the blood anyways, so I donât really see the benefit.
At least itâs not the lifetime ban that it used to be, I guess. Iâve donated a few times, and itâs always a good feeling.
Sure that depends on the kind of stuff you do with the other lady
But yeah, thatâs the âofficialâ reason for this differentiation - pretty much like what Zwack said, they just assume some strange ânormalâ here. I know ladys who play with their menstrual blood, so I guess⊠bleeding is a thing?
Yep, and thatâs the problem I meant - STDs are, in general view, still only a thing for gay men. That leads to stupid discrimination of gay men and to a dangerous indifference towards STDs in the rest of the population.
To be honest, I know some straight guys who fuck around a lot, and they frequently get tested, but thatâs definitely not usual.
It makes a tiny bit more sense, given that prion diseases can be dormant for decades. I donât know if they have similar cheap tests they can run for it. If they do, I donât really see any reason why that requirement would still be in place.
This reminds me, I did give blood once relatively soon after getting some genital piercings. It was a blood
drive through the Red Cross here in the US. I never considered the piercings as a reason for being turned away until I was answering the questionnaire. I answered the questionnaire truthfully, and I was within the specified window that was asked.
A nurse reviewed my chart and asked about the piercings. I told her the location of the piercings, when I had them done, and that a professional did it in a piercing studio. She allowed me to go ahead and donate. I donât know if there was any limitations or additional tracking to the blood I donated, but they took it.
At some places they take your blood anyway and throw it away later. That way no one gets sent away with everyone noticing. If i recall correctly it was done to protect people from rumours about HIV and stuff.
Here you have to make an appointment with the Red Cross online. The process can only be completed if you fill out the self-assessment form successfully, and only for an appointment within 24 hours. So they donât throw anything away, which is just as well because - I kid you not - they offer a full meal buffet to regain your lost energy after donating. Amazing! I enjoy going there just because I have me a nice lunch each time And unlike other countriesâ Red Cross chapters, you can donate every 2 months here.
And unlike other countriesâ Red Cross chapters, you can donate every 2 months here.