Donating Plasma!!!

In this post I want to talk a little bit about my experiences donating plasma as I struggle with deciding to continue doing it or not. I apologize to my mom who might be reading this as she highly discourages me from going. Donating plasma saves lives, so why would my mother be against it? Well, I am here to explain a little about what plasma donating is from the perspective of someone who donates. So first, I will answer some basic questions to help unfamiliar people understand...

What is plasma?

The dictionary definition says, "the colorless fluid part of blood, lymph, or milk, in which corpuscles or fat globules are suspended." In my highly simplified brain I see plasma as the stuff that carries your blood cells and also helps with your immune system.

Why do people need others to donate their plasma?
Plasma donations are used in many different ways. From what the posters tell me inside the donation centers, plasma helps save the lives of old people and sick children. It is also used in life saving medicines.On a more personal note, I have a cousin recovering from a serious motorcycle accident who I have heard also benefits from plasma donations. This has also been a reason for me to keep going all though I know that the plasma I donate will not reach him since he is in a different state. It is just comforting to know that perhaps my donation could help another person's loved one recover from a serious accident.


Who can donate plasma/what are the requirements?

Pretty much anyone over the age of 18 in good health can donate their plasma. Pretty much the same restrictions a person might face if they were to try to donate blood apply to donating plasma as well. The first time you go in and every year you go through a "physical examination" where they ask more in depth questions about your health history and you are also required to give a urine sample. Every time you go in they test your blood pressure, take your temperature, and also prick your figure to get a small blood sample to test your iron levels and hemoglobin. They also ask the mandatory questions (most of which ask questions to determine if you are at high risk for AIDS or HIV). If you meet all the health standards and requirements, they will take you back into the main donation room. 
Also, you have to make sure you eat good and healthy before and after as well as drink lots of water.

How do they take your plasma?

Through a process they call plasmapheresis. Basically, in my simplified explanation, you get seated in a nice comfy chair where you lay back in a cold room where they typically have lots of televisions and other donors all around. They put a blood pressure cuff on your arm and spread some iodine around the area they want to stick a large needle into your vein inside your elbow. Some workers will do a lot of poking around with their finger to find the exact spot in your vein. At this point I always look away as they stick the needle in my arm.

Tip: What I like to do that helps this not feel so bad is I try to over anticipate how much it will hurt. Typically by imagining/remembering the worst pinch my sister every game me. When I picture this, the needle does not feel so bad.

The tube attached to the needle is usually lightly taped down to your arm so it won't move too much and is attached to a machine right next to you where the actual "plasmapheresis" occurs. The blood pressure cuff tightens (and you are usually instructed to start pumping your arm, this helps things go faster) and your blood is drawn out through the tube into the machine where (in my simplified mind) part of it spins so fast it separates the plasma from the blood cells. The plasma is drawn out into a bottle that you can see. When the blood pressure cuff loosens it's grip, this is when the blood is actually put back into you through the same tube it just came out through. Depending on your weight and how much plasma they will allow, you go through a certain number of "cycles" of this. For me, I usually go through three cycles of the blood being drawn and then put back in. 

What is recently new to their procedure (at least at the center that I go to) is that now at the very end of your cycles, the same tube now puts in a saline solution into your arm that apparently helps replace the weight/water that was lost with the plasma you just donated. Since I have only had this done twice, I personally do not care for this part so much. (It is cold and makes my lips tingle and I also think it is making me feel dizzy but that is uncertain).

When it is all done, the worker comes back to your station and begins "unplugging" you making sure everything went all right. They place a cotton over the insertion spot and tell you to put pressure on it while they remove the needle. They then wrap it up in a colorful bandage and recommend you wait a couple more minutes before moving around (just to be safe). You then get to go up to a counter where they will give you the "cash for services rendered" and you are ready to go! 

The whole time, workers are nearby to help you if you feel something is wrong and they are very safe and cautious about everything they do. 

How often can you donate?

You can donate twice in a seven day period and must have a full day in between donations. They take extra precautions to make sure no one is going to multiple plasma donation centers. If you are found doing this, you will be permanently differed from all plasma centers.

How much can you earn from donating?

I think different plasma centers differ only slightly, but typically, you can earn at least $50 if you donate twice in one week. They have incentives for return visits. So the first time you come in during a week, you will be given $20 ($25 at my donation center) and then $30 the second time that same week. (Between Monday - Saturday).

How long does it take?

This question can be sometimes hard to answer depending on the center and the day/how many people are trying to donate at the same time you are. Typically if you are there for the first time or have to take their physical, it will take 2-3 hours. After that, it may also depend on how fast you are at donating. I think on average, most people are in and out within and hour and a half. (Less than an hour if you are me on a good day).

Why I love donating plasma...

Not only do I get a special kind of satisfaction from helping others and feeling like I am really making a sacrifice to help people, it is also really nice to have that extra cash bonus. At times when it just seems like the bills are too high, it is really nice to have that extra cash in your wallet that you can put towards food and not have to worry about how you are going to budget it all with you regular work income.

Why I sometimes dislike donating plasma...

I have been donating on and off now since 2010. I am not going to deny, there are health risks when donating plasma. For me, it came at a time when I was not sleeping enough, becoming super stressed with classes, and probably not eating right. Basically, I had a "relapse" of mono. I throat was the most swollen it has ever been and I was basically tied to my bed for a couple days by my roommates. The reason I blame donating plasma? Mono is an illness that weakens the immune system. Without that plasma in me, my immune system was even weaker. 

Besides this, there are other risks with donating plasma which is why my mother is so against me doing it. If you are really curious and want to know more about the risks, I recommend contacting your nearest plasma center. 

Remember: If you do decide to go in and donate, you can tell them at any point if you suddenly change your mind on do not want to. Also, if you decide to start donating at the Orem, UT plasma donation center, be sure to write down that I recommended you! ;)


I am not sure how much it will vary depending on the center you will go to, but I have donated in Rexburg and Orem and Grifols seems to be the way to go... http://www.grifolsplasma.com/

How does plasma affect those trying to lose weight?
I feel like it used to be that donating plasma would help me lose weight, even though I actually started to eat more in order to donate. The amount of plasma I would donate to me resembled about the size of a taco. So afterwards, I got to eat an extra taco! However, it has been almost a year since I would regularly donate and now, as I mentioned earlier, when you donate, the put in a saline solution to replace the plasma. So not only am I too tired from donating to keep my stomach flexed, but I have also been feeling more dizzy than I used to. The progress I was making has come to a halt. All though I am grateful that my weight has not bounced back at least since I am also eating more than usual. I donated twice last week but I am not going this week. I am debating with myself whether to go next week.

Perhaps I will halt my plasma donations until I reach my weight loss goals. What do you think?