Broke the ice and asked my question about hormones .

[Teresa]

I've been donating blood for many years and feel very proud to say I've clocked up 66 pints ( at 66 years old one for every year !) I know talking to others of a similar age they are well over the 100 mark, I'm just happy to have contributed something back into society.

The missed ones were occasionally because I forgot to go but the others because I haven't passed the initial drop test , on occasions I've been tempted to suggest trying the female bottle instead of the male one.

This time I finished the session and asked to see the charge nurse , I pointed out that I wanted to continue to donate blood but would hormones make a difference . When she queried what sort I told her I was TG , her mood totally changed, she flushed slightly and gave me a deep soulful look, she sat me down and went to check on the computer to read up on the recommendations . As it was Easter Sunday I knew they wanted to pack up quickly, so I went to tell her not to worry if she was too busy and instead I would use the online helpdesk , I told her that I assumed she had encountered this question before, she said she had and it hadn't been a problem , I thanked her for her time and said it was early days yet .

The fact is I had broken the ice and asked my first question to a group it may affect and I'd actually accepted that is something I am thinking about. It's possibly more to do with the comments other members have made about the effects on their GD. I'm interested in that because my mind is still going round in circles and I'm not sleeping very well, I know I have to do something soon to settle things down.

[Megan G]

My only suggestion to you is that your next step should be to bring your wife into the conversation...even if she is unaccepting of your gender variance. She deserves to know prior to you beginning down this road. After that a therapist...

Random strangers are the last people that need to know, discuss with blood banks after you are actually on HRT...

[Teresa]

Megan,
It is a good point, I know they affect people differently, in the hope of settling my GD the risk could be physical changes which is something you can't hide, she wouldn't be too concerned about my loss of sex drive because she hasn't been interested in an intimate relationship for years.

I'm not sure if I would call the nurse a random stranger she could have come up with some interesting information as I assume they must have dealt with a similar situation before, I'm far from a one off .

[Heidi Stevens]

Don't worry about giving blood, Teresa, most collecting organizations are glad to get it. If it's not used for whole blood, they will break it down into useful things like platelets or plasma. The one who has to worry is the receiver. They are trusting that the products have been tested for disease and labeled correctly for type and Rh factor.
You read a lot of stuff while giving 121 pints at the Red Cross. Thank you for your gift.

[Teresa]

Heidi,
I know it's well screened sadly they did have problems with a batch from the US, so the list of questions gets longer on the donation sheet. I've been doing it for so many years that I know all the tick boxes will be NO, the problem is a couple are marked female only, that is becoming confusing, because I sometimes tick them by accisdent ! I had to smile at a couple of extra verbal questions, both about sex, had I recently done so ? My reply , " Chance would be a fine thing !" . She was quite an attractive blond nurse and gave me a knowing look with that comment .