giving blood - sexual health questions

cappuccina

My new boyfriend gives blood and he showed me the form with all the sexual health questions - very in depth and extremely personal (those of you who give blood will know what I mean).

Anyway, he says that because he is free from sexually transmitted diseases (says they test the blood each time he donates it) that we dont need to take extra precautions i.e use a condom when we have sex.

I know that I am clear of any stds and am on the pill anyway so pregnancy wont be the issue.

Your thoughts please.

Browntoa

if he's telling the truth then yes it is tested but he is only as "clean" as the last time they tested his blood

but it is a better indication than nothing

these are the tests thay do, as you can see it does not test for ALL STD's

As well as checking your blood group, we test for the following:

Syphilis:[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Syphilis is caused by an organism called Treponema pallidum. This organism belongs to a family of infectious agents which cause yaws and pinta as well as syphilis. Syphilis is usually a sexually transmitted infection which, if untreated, can cause serious disease. Yaws and pinta are tropical diseases which cause skin and joint problems. All three diseases are fully treatable with penicillin and most people who have had these diseases have been treated.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The tests we use look for antibodies, which can often be found in a person’s blood long after the infection has gone. A positive test for syphilis usually relates to an infection in the past, but if the test is positive we are not able to use your blood. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hepatitis B virus (HBV)[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]: This is a virus which infects the liver. It can cause inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) and liver damage. Hepatitis B is very common in some parts of the world where it is often transmitted from mother to child at birth or in infancy. Most donors we identify have an association with those places and appear to have been infected since childhood or early life.

Our test looks for a substance called hepatitis B surface antigen, which is part of the ‘coat’ of the virus. If we find this substance in a donor’s blood then further tests are performed to confirm the result. Most of the donors we identify are long - term carriers of the virus who feel completely well. Acute hepatitis B infection is uncommon in blood donors. Occasionally we get a positive result because the donor has recently had an immunisation against hepatitis B and not because infection is present.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]: This virus causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Once an individual becomes infected with HIV then the virus remains in the body and eventually causes destruction of the immune system. It is mainly transmitted sexually, or from mother to baby, or by intravenous drug use. A person who has HIV does not necessarily have AIDS.

Our test looks for antibodies to the virus, but unlike many other infections the presence of the antibody shows that the virus is present, and not that the infection is in the past.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hepatitis C virus (HCV)[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]: This virus infects the liver and can cause inflammation and liver damage. It is commonly transmitted by intravenous drug use. We have two kinds of test; a test for antibodies and a test for the virus. The test for virus is an extra safety test and can tell us whether a donor with antibodies is infected or not. Most of the donors we identify are long-term carriers of the virus who feel completely well.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]: This virus infects white cells called T-lymphocytes, and can cause a neurological disorder called Tropical !!!!!! Paraparesis (or HTLV Associated Myelopathy) and Adult T cell Leukaemia. It is relatively common in some populations and is thought to be transmitted mainly from mother to child at birth and by breast feeding.

The test is for antibodies and a positive test means the individual is infected with the virus. Comparatively few infected individuals become illand most carriers feel completely well.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]SUPPLEMENTARY TESTS[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
These tests are not performed on every donation. Whether or not we test depends on the donor's individual circumstances, in particular with reference to travel. Supplementary tests are also done to provide specifically tested blood for particular types of patient.

Malaria: Malaria is caused by a parasitic infection transmitted by the bites of Anopheles mosquitoes. The infection causes fever and is a major cause of death in some parts of the world. The test is for antibodies to the malaria parasite. A positive result does not necessarily mean that the individual has active malaria, merely that they have had malaria at some time in the past. The antibodies can disappear over time, so donors with a positive malaria antibody test are not necessarily unable to give blood in the future.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]T-cruzi[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]: This is a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi. The parasite is found in certain parts of Central and South America and is transmitted to humans by biting insects or from mother to baby at the time of birth. Long-term carriers of the parasite are at risk of illness (also called Chagas Disease), due to destruction of the muscles in the heart and intestines. Not all carriers become ill. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Our tests look for antibodies, to the infection. A donor's place of birth and travel history determines whether the test is required. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Cytomegalovirus (CMV):[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] This is a very common virus which causes a mild ‘flu-like’ illness. Individuals in good health make a full recovery and are usually unaware of having been ill. We test for antibodies and a positive test indicates that the individual has had CMV infection and may still be carrying the virus. Having antibodies to CMV is of no significance to the health of the donor.

For those patients with a poor immune system, (bone marrow recipients or small babies) the presence of CMV in the blood given to them can cause a life-threatening illness. However, CMV positive blood is safe to give to other patients not at risk, so donors are not informed of a positive result.

West Nile Virus (WNV): Despite its name, this virus only affects you giving blood if you travel to Canada or the USA and only in the summer. The virus is transmitted to humans by mosquito bites. It causes an acute infection that can occasionally affect the brain (encephalitis or inflammation of the brain). However, sometimes it is not noticeable at all. Only a small number people who catch WNV become ill and no cases have been found yet in the UK.

Our test looks for the infection. We expect very few donors will be found to have the virus. Anyone who has had WNV can continue to give blood once they have recovered.

Skin-piercing: Until recently if you had had skinpiercing of any kind, you had to wait 12 months before giving blood. We have now introduced an extra supplementary test that means that we can now take donations 6 months after skin-piercing.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The test looks for evidence of past hepatitis B infection. Donors with positive test results will probably have to stop donating. If you fall into this group we will give you more detailed specific advice depending on your individual results.

False Reactions: All laboratory tests can produce ‘false alarms’, the technical term for this is a ‘false reaction’. This is a positive result (usually a weak reaction) in the screening test, which, on confirmatory testing is shown to be negative. False reactions are a recognised complication of all biological tests and are perfectly normal. They are of no significance for the health of the donor.
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chatta

cappuccina wrote:

My new boyfriend gives blood and he showed me the form with all the sexual health questions - very in depth and extremely personal (those of you who give blood will know what I mean).

Anyway, he says that because he is free from sexually transmitted diseases (says they test the blood each time he donates it) that we dont need to take extra precautions i.e use a condom when we have sex.

I know that I am clear of any stds and am on the pill anyway so pregnancy wont be the issue.

Your thoughts please.

If you have any doubt and you do cos you chose to post here for advice from strangers WAIT NEW was the key word :rolleyes:

linlin_3

There are too many people who are upset and hurting because they trusted him or her! Do you want to become one of them?

iceicebaby

NO DONT DO IT!

Condoms all the way!
The test they do when u donate blood does not test for CHLAMIDIA (sp) HERPES, WARTS OR GONORRHEA (sp)

Chalamydia is the most copmmon form of STD and can have NO symptoms.

Please dont put yourself at risk

Ted_Hutchinson

Gonorrhoea Chlamydia Herpes Warts are the most common STD's and they are not tested for with blood donors so it's not really giving you any practical protection.

wolfehouse

when i gave blood i filled in that form. it asks me about my habits etc.
nowhere does it state that i am free from infection. the blood is tested later and although they would probably get around to informing me about the problem later, the form i think you are talking about is not proof of anything.

if it were me i'd go (both) get tested properly.

astonsmummy

to be tested for std's such as chlamydia etc they need to take swabs, not blood tests.

Elixir

I thought they wernt allowed to tell doners of they turned out to be HIV positive?

I didnt think a blood bank would have that right?

shelly

cappuccina wrote:

My new boyfriend gives blood and he showed me the form with all the sexual health questions - very in depth and extremely personal (those of you who give blood will know what I mean).

Anyway, he says that because he is free from sexually transmitted diseases (says they test the blood each time he donates it) that we dont need to take extra precautions i.e use a condom when we have sex.

I know that I am clear of any stds and am on the pill anyway so pregnancy wont be the issue.

Your thoughts please.

Its up to you at the end of the day but personally I wouldn't. As others pointed out, they don't test for every STD, some of which have symptoms and some don't. It sounds a little to me like "If you love me you would" :rolleyes:

Also NO pill is 100% at preventing pregnancy so it could be an issue.

inkie

chlamydia, gonnorhoea arn't doing to be detected by their method of screening - and bear in mind that a negative test for HIV does not take into account the 'window period' - time from exposure to time that it would show up in blood tests.

If you sleep with someone without using condoms - you are sleeping with all the people that they have slept with and so on..... hence contact tracing that is done in STD clinics.