Am I eligible to donate plasma?
Can I donate blood or plasma?
Can I donate blood or plasma?Before you book, take our eligibility quiz
New to donating plasma?
Any person in general good health, who meets our eligibility criteria, may donate plasma as often as once a week. All blood types are needed. You can donate plasma if you:
- Weigh over 50kg (110 lb.)
- Are in general good health
- Are 17 years of age or older
- Meet the eligibility criteria
The process for donating plasma is similar to donating blood. The main difference between them is how they are collected. During a plasma donation, we separate the blood components through a process called apheresis so that we collect only plasma from you. The rest of your blood (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets) is then returned to you as you donate.
Donated before?
On the day of your donation, it is important that you are hydrated, have eaten, had adequate sleep and in good general health.
We encourage you to create a routine of donation. You can donate:
- Plasma every 6-56 days, depending on the donor program
- Whole blood every 56 days for males, every 84 days for females
- Platelets every 14 days
Changes to donation criteria
We have recently updated our eligibility criteria for blood and plasma donation. If you did not meet our eligibility criteria in the past, you might now be eligible to donate!
Some of the updates include:
- If you’ve lived or spent time in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or France during the ‘mad cow disease’ outbreak of the 1980s and 1990s, you may now be eligible to donate blood, plasma and platelets in Canada.
- You may be able to donate plasma if you visited or lived in a malaria-risk area or have a history of malaria infection. This is because donated plasma is manufactured into medications and during this process pathogens in plasma are eliminated.
To view all of the changes, please click here. Keep checking our website for up-to-date information on donor eligibility.