Blood lost during surgery may need to be replaced. Donating your own blood ahead of time is a choice that may be available to you Depositing your own blood before surgery is called autologous blood donation. Talk with your healthcare provider about whether you should donate your own blood for surgery.
Deciding what’s right for you
-
There is less risk of a reaction and infection because it's your own blood.
-
Using your own blood is usually recommended for people planning elective surgery. But many surgeries often don’t need blood transfusions.
-
There are no set age restrictions.
-
You should usually weigh at least 90 pounds.
-
Some conditions would keep you from donating blood for your own surgery. They are anemia (low red blood cell count), upper respiratory conditions, and abnormal blood pressure.
-
A sample of your blood will be taken for testing.
-
People taking antibiotics for infections usually can’t donate.
Planning ahead
-
Plan ahead carefully so you will be able to donate enough blood before your surgery.
-
You will probably need to make more than 1 deposit.
-
It's common to wait a week between visits.
-
Your healthcare provider may prescribe a daily iron pill.
Online Medical Reviewer: Callie Tayrien RN MSN
Online Medical Reviewer: Raymond Kent Turley BSN MSN RN
Online Medical Reviewer: Todd Gersten MD
Date Last Reviewed: 08/01/2022
© 2000-2025 The StayWell Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions.
Find the right provider to meet your needs
From primary care to specialty services and more.
Find a Doctor
Call for an Appointment
Offering personalized care at more than 20 clinics across three cities and two states.
Call NowRelated Articles
Vascular Doppler Ultrasound
Doppler ultrasound uses harmless sound waves to evaluate and create pictures of blood flow inside your blood vessels. This test can detect narrow or blocked arteries and veins due to an abnormality pressing on them or blood clots inside.
Renal Angioplasty and Stenting
The renal artery is the main blood vessel that supplies your kidneys. If it's narrowed or blocked, you can have very high blood pressure or kidney problems. Renal angioplasty and stenting helps to widen this blood vessel and ease problems.
Understanding Cerebral Angiography
This test makes X-ray images of blood vessels in your brain. It is used to help your doctor find problems with those blood vessels.
Understanding Transcranial Doppler
Transcranial doppler is a kind of imaging test that looks at blood flow in your brain. It uses special sound waves and a computer to see how well blood is moving through blood vessels in real time.