How Long Does It Take for Plasma to Replenish After Donating?
September 23, 2022
Even though plasma is the largest component of blood, there are many differences between whole blood donation and plasma donation. One of the biggest differences is the time that you need to recover between donations in order for your supply to regenerate so you can safely donate again.
In this blog, we’re breaking down how long it takes for your plasma to regenerate and the impact that has on how frequently you can donate as well as the amount of compensation you receive!
What Is the Process for Donating Plasma?
Plasma donation is a four-step process that involves registering, screening, donating, and relaxing. During the donating portion of this process, plasma is collected from your blood via plasmapheresis. Plasmapheresis is an intravenous process that extracts plasma from whole blood and returns other blood components back into your body.
It takes approximately 50 minutes to collect a sufficient amount of plasma, during which time we encourage you to relax, kick back, read a book, and take some time for you!
How Long Does it Take for Plasma to Regenerate?
While whole blood donation can only be performed once every 56 days for males and once every 84 days for females, plasma donors can donate plasma twice in a seven day period. Plasma donors can donate more frequently than blood donors because blood plasma takes anywhere from 24-48 hours to regenerate.
The plasmapheresis process also makes it possible for plasma donors to donate twice per week since other blood components are returned to the body. With that said, it’s important to make sure that there is at least one day in between donations in order to give your body adequate time to heal and recover from the donation process.
It’s crucial to keep in mind the difference between donating twice in a seven-day period versus the calendar week, because this impacts your donation schedule for the month. Rather than having two back to back days a week that you donate, you need to set aside time to recover and allow flexibility to time your donations accordingly.
Why Donate Plasma?
One of the most rewarding reasons to donate plasma is that you are actively helping others. By donating plasma, you are providing patients who live with chronic illnesses and autoimmune conditions the therapies that they need to live healthier, more productive lives. Plasma is used to treat a variety of autoimmune conditions, immune deficiencies, bleeding disorders and other diseases, as well as shock and trauma. Plasma cannot be replicated in a lab, meaning that immunocompromised patients rely on donors to supply plasma for life-sustaining plasma-protein therapies.
Also, donating plasma is a great way to make some extra money! When you donate plasma at Canadian Plasma Resources, you can earn up to $95/week by consistently donating twice in a seven-day period. And as we said before, donating can be a surprisingly relaxing time to slow down, rest, and take part in relaxing activities you enjoy. Book your plasma donation appointment today to give back to others (and yourself)!
