Eligibility Requirements for Donating Blood.

To ensure the safety of both patients and donors, these are some of the requirements donors must meet to be eligible to donate blood:

• Donation frequency: Every 56 days*
  
• You must be in good health and feeling well**
• You must be at least 16 years old in most states
• You must weigh at least 110 lbs

 Male donors who are 18 years old and younger must weigh 110 lbs. or more, depending on their height. See chart below:

 Female donors who are 18 years old and younger must weigh 110 lbs. or more, depending on their height. See chart below:

Whole Blood Donation

What Is It?

“Whole blood” is simply the blood that flows through your veins. It contains red cells, white cells, and platelets, suspended in plasma.

Why Should I Do It?

Whole blood is the most flexible type of donation. It can be transfused in its original form, or used to help multiple people when separated into its specific components of red cells, plasma and platelets. Every day, whole blood donations help save the lives of children and adults fighting to survive cancer, blood disorders, traumatic injuries and more.
The actual donation can be very quick, but you should plan on being with us for about an hour. You can donate whole blood as often as every 56 days.

Who Can Donate?

In most states, you must be 17 or older to donate whole blood. In states where 16 year olds are eligible to donate, we require a signed parental consent form.
You must weigh at least 110 lbs.* and be in good health — that means you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes and you want to donate blood, it’s important that you are being treated and the condition is under control. If you’re not feeling well on the day of your donation, please contact us to reschedule.
Additional eligibility criteria apply, including certain medications, medical conditions, travel to certain countries, and personal history. You can browse the most common reasons people may not be able to give blood, or view our complete eligibility requirements.

Source: 1. https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/types-of-blood-donations/whole-blood-donation.html
2. https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/eligibility-requirements.html