Head-to-head – blood and plasma
Donating blood and donating plasma – same same, but different. Both are vital, lifesaving acts that help people in need, but there are some key distinctions between the two.
From how often you can donate to who you can help, let’s take a look at blood and plasma, head-to-head.
What you donate
Blood: Blood is donated 'whole' before being separated into its component parts, which include red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Plasma is the largest component, making up approximately 55% of your blood.
Plasma: During a plasma donation, your blood goes through a machine which separates the plasma from the other blood components. These other components are instantly returned to your body, allowing you not only to give more plasma in each session, but to donate more often too.
Who your donations help
Blood: Red blood cells, plasma, and platelets can all be used to treat many different conditions. These three components are separated after you give blood, meaning patients can be given exactly what they need, and one blood donation can help save up to 3 lives.
Plasma: The antibodies in your plasma donations are used to make unique, lifesaving medicines which help to treat over 50 different diseases, including immune disorders and genetic conditions. Plasma also contains a protein called albumin. This protein can be turned into medicines to help treat liver disease, kidney failure, sepsis, and major burns.
How often you can donate
Blood: You can donate blood every 12 weeks if you are male, and every 16 weeks if you are female. This is because males generally have higher iron levels than females, making it safer for them to donate blood more regularly.
Plasma: You can donate plasma more often than you can donate blood, because the recovery time is shorter. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can donate plasma as often as every 2 weeks, though many donors give plasma up to 6 times a year.
How long donations take
Blood: Most blood donation appointments take up to 1 hour from start to finish. This includes a health check questionnaire, a private health screening, the blood donation itself, and resting for 15 minutes with a drink and snack. For most people, the donation itself lasts only 5 to 10 minutes.
Plasma: Plasma donations take just over an hour. They also include a health check questionnaire and a private health screening to make sure it’s safe for you to donate. The plasma donation itself lasts around 35 to 45 minutes.
Where you can donate
Blood: You can donate blood at any of our 27 donor centres or one of thousands of temporary community-based venues in town centres and villages around England. Find out more about where to donate on our blood donation website.
Plasma: You can donate plasma at one of three plasma donor centres, located in Birmingham, Reading, and Twickenham.
Whether you give blood or plasma, you still get to enjoy a well-deserved snack and drink after your donation. And however you choose to donate, you are still giving plasma which can be used to produce medicines to treat over 50 diseases. Often, these medicines are the only treatment option for patients with serious, even life-threatening, conditions.
You could help build a person's antibodies, help to heal burns, protect pregnancies, and help babies' hearts to continue to beat.