Donating menstrual blood is the name of the test. Changes in general blood test

From the moment of puberty until the complete attenuation of reproductive function, the female body rebuilds its hormonal levels every month. This is a natural process: the menstrual cycle is accompanied by certain changes, and its smooth operation is ensured by a change in the balance of hormones. In accordance with the phase of menstruation, not only the state of the organs of the reproductive system changes, but overall well-being and even mood change. How does the body react to this in general? Minor, sometimes imperceptible fluctuations are inherent in all systems. Sometimes this does not matter, in other situations it is very important, for example, when you need to donate blood. Diagnostics are carried out based on the indicators, so an error can lead to serious consequences. Let's find out whether you can donate blood during your period, and how monthly bleeding will affect your results.

The effect of menstruation on blood

Modern diagnostic methods rely heavily on laboratory tests. There is a standard of results that doctors rely on when making a diagnosis. Clear rules for collecting material have been developed, for example, blood is donated for biochemistry in the morning, always on an empty stomach. This is necessary to obtain reliable information about the state of the body, the presence or absence of pathological processes. How does menstruation affect such cases? Changes, even very minor ones, can be observed in the form of:

decrease in hemoglobin (depending on the intensity of bleeding);
decreased coagulation levels (due to a decrease in the number of platelets that respond to any blood loss);
altered erythrocyte sedimentation reaction: uterine muscle spasms and pain increase the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation. This is a normal and natural response of the body to menstruation, but in a normal situation this indicator changes during inflammatory processes;
on the balance of hormones that ensure the normal functioning of the reproductive organs.

Taking painkillers or antispasmodics may have an additional effect. Some women are forced to use them due to painful periods.

What to do if there is a need for a blood test? Tactics depend on the situation:

if emergency treatment is required and immediate results are needed, blood is donated during menstruation, but this fact is noted so that the doctor can evaluate the indicators, taking into account possible errors;
during a routine visit, it is recommended to postpone visiting the laboratory until the end of your period, unless we are talking about specific tests (for example, hormonal studies) or those that are not affected by your periods.

In any case, you need to inform the doctor about your period before the examination, otherwise the results obtained will be incorrectly assessed and may cause an erroneous diagnosis. Let's consider how to donate blood for tests during menstruation, and what studies can be carried out during this period.

Before you come for a blood test during your period, you should clarify which tests are not recommended. Before the critical days, during and immediately after their end, the female body will react to hormonal changes and blood loss. And in this case, the result will change if you do tests:

general blood test (from a finger): the body will respond to blood loss by changing the number of leukocytes and platelets (decreasing) and increasing the number of erythrocytes and their sedimentation rate (by ROE - erythrocyte sedimentation reaction, the presence and intensity of inflammatory processes are judged). Also, at this moment, females may experience mild anemia (a decrease in hemoglobin levels within the physiological norm). And decreased clotting (due to lack of platelets);
biochemical blood test (from a vein): the level of proteins, enzymes, bilirubin and some other indicators react to hormonal changes associated with monthly blood loss. Therefore, you should not donate blood for cholesterol and other biochemical tests during menstruation.
blood sugar test: often false results are obtained due to changes in insulin levels. And sometimes - with an increased need for sweets, which some women experience during “critical days”;
PCR (polymerase chain reaction): allows you to identify a number of viral, fungal and sexually transmitted diseases, but during menstruation the result may be distorted, so it is recommended to take the test no earlier than in the middle of the cycle. The study is classified as highly accurate. Therefore, it is better to exclude any causes of distortion on which the result depends;
on coagulation: this has already been mentioned, bleeding during menstruation causes a physiological reaction of the body in the form of a decrease in the number of platelets, therefore, the coagulation rate will change;
allergy and immunological tests: searching for an allergen is sometimes a rather complex process, so it is better to exclude additional risk factors for obtaining false positive results. The same situation occurs when assessing the immune response;
for tumor markers: since this study is most often carried out as planned, it is worth postponing it until the 7th – 14th day of the cycle in order to prevent distortion due to menstruation.

As you can see, some indicators are directly related to the menstrual cycle and the body’s accompanying reactions to menstruation. Naturally, if you need to donate blood on an emergency basis, these studies are carried out, but with the obligatory notification of the doctor about “critical days”. In such cases, this factor is taken into account when making a diagnosis, and after the bleeding is completed, a re-examination is carried out. We have found out what tests cannot be taken. Now let's look at what blood tests can, and sometimes even need to be done during menstruation.

What tests can you donate blood for?

There are studies whose effectiveness is not affected by hormonal levels, blood loss and related changes. You can take tests during menstruation for:

RW and serological studies: infection is detected regardless of the phase of the cycle;
PCR: although there is a risk of false-positive results for some types of pathogens, some diseases can be detected. It is enough to inform the doctor about your condition so that he can make a decision on the effectiveness of laboratory diagnostics in each specific case.

It is recommended to donate blood during menstruation to determine hormonal levels. To do this, several sequential studies are done throughout the entire cycle. This allows you to objectively assess the dynamics of hormonal changes. During menstruation, hormone levels are examined:

estradiol (a type of estrogen);
prolactin;
luteinizing;
follicle-stimulating;
testosterone;
cortisol (glucocorticosteroid hormone of the adrenal cortex).

An analysis of thyroid and pituitary hormones is carried out no earlier than on the 5th and no later than the 8th day of the cycle.

Norms of blood parameters on critical days

As you can see, donating blood during menstruation has its own characteristics. If there is still a need for laboratory examination during the period of bleeding, the following indicators will be considered normal:

the number of leukocytes varies from 3.5 to 10 thousand/1 ml;
the red blood cell count ranges from 3.8 to 5.8 million/1 ml;
hemoglobin level within 120-160 g/l;
color index from 0.85 to 1.05;
hematocrit is normal from 35% to 45%; if the red blood cell mass is increased, this ratio becomes larger.

When is the best time to do tests?

It is recommended to donate blood for analysis in the middle of the cycle; this applies to most laboratory tests used in modern medicine for diagnosis. If menstruation does not affect the results (serology), then the day of the cycle does not matter. When hormonal changes are detected, a comprehensive examination is usually prescribed (a series of repeated tests on different days of the menstrual cycle). If testing is necessary urgently (for example, in case of heavy bleeding, which may indicate an ectopic pregnancy), re-evaluation after the end of menstruation is recommended for reliability.

How to prepare for the test

The rules for visiting the laboratory are simple:

blood is donated in the morning on an empty stomach;
the day before, it is recommended to exclude fatty and spicy foods, coffee from the diet, and should not drink alcohol or smoke;
If you donate blood during menstruation, it is better to refrain from taking painkillers.

Sometimes menstruation causes women a number of inconveniences. Especially if it is urgent to carry out laboratory tests of blood or urine, and the woman is menstruating. In such a situation, the question may be, Is it possible to take tests during menstruation?. Indeed, during this period, the hormonal background changes, the load on the circulatory system increases, and there is an outflow of blood secretions with the cells of the inner layer of the endometrium, which may possibly distort the test results.

During menstruation, you should not take urine tests (general, daily, according to Zimnitsky, according to Nechiporenko and others). This is explained by the fact that during urine collection, particles of blood and epithelium may get into it. The presence of these substances in the urine may cause the test to record elevated levels of red blood cells and protein in the absence of any health problems. As a result, the test will need to be retaken or the woman will be prescribed the wrong treatment.

If there is an urgent need to take tests during menstruation, for example, during an unscheduled hospitalization or preparation for an emergency operation, you should warn the doctor about menstruation. And to obtain a more accurate result, you need to carefully consider the collection of material. Before urinating, a woman should wash herself thoroughly and insert a hygienic or cotton swab into the vagina, and then collect the urine. It is important that average urine is subject to analysis, that is, during the first 2-3 seconds the urine is released into the toilet, after which the required amount of material is collected into a container for analysis and urination is completed into the toilet. According to the recommendations of some doctors, to take a test during menstruation, you can pass a stream of urine through a cotton swab.

If you need to undergo an urgent examination due to illness, upcoming surgery, etc., you can donate blood for tests during your period. In this case, you need to warn your doctor about menstruation; perhaps he will advise you to wait for it to end. During menstruation, slight changes in blood counts occur. Thus, in a general blood test, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) will increase. Typically, this may indicate the development of an infectious or inflammatory process in the body, so the doctor may interpret the result incorrectly. Also, in women during menstruation, the number of platelets and leukocytes decreases, hemoglobin and red blood cells increase slightly, and blood clotting decreases. The doctor, knowing the characteristics of the patient’s condition, will be able to correctly assess these changes in blood parameters.

You should not donate blood for testing if you are taking any medications to relieve menstruation. You should also not take a blood test for tumor markers during this period, as the result may be false positive. To obtain the most accurate blood test results, it is best to conduct the test 5-7 days after the end of menstruation.

What tests can be taken during menstruation?

Some tests are not only possible, but also recommended to be taken during menstruation - these are blood tests for certain hormones. Thus, tests for luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones, prolactin, cortisol, testosterone and estradiol are taken on days 5-7 of the cycle, that is, from the beginning of menstruation. Progesterone testing is done between 20 and 1 day of the cycle. Menstruation does not affect the results of blood tests for infections, so these studies can also be carried out during this period.

Since doctors learned how to perform transfusions, donated blood has saved many lives. And for those who take it, the procedure is useful not only as an opportunity to earn a little money and get a free day, but also as a renewal of the body. According to statistics, most of them are women; the stronger sex prefers to avoid medical manipulations. Therefore, the question of whether donation is possible during the period is by no means idle.

Read in this article

How are donation and menstruation related?

Both processes involve blood. To take it from the donor, special equipment is needed; the manipulation itself is carried out from a vein. The flow of blood during menstruation is ensured by natural mechanisms and is of a natural nature. However, donation and menstruation are united by the fact that the body loses blood. Menstruation deprives a woman of fluid every day. For transfusion, at least 200 ml is taken. If you add this amount, the blood loss will be significant. In healthy people, its supply is replenished; there is every opportunity for this. But donation that occurs during menstruation can seriously undermine one’s health. Recovery requires some time and body resources, which are more limited during menstruation than always. Therefore, when taking blood, doctors always ask whether the woman is currently on her period.

Why you should postpone donation

Considering how donation affects menstruation, there are several reasons not to donate blood for transfusion to those in need at the moment; they can be divided into groups:

During menstrual periods, most women feel worse than usual, feeling weak, depressed, and wanting to sleep. The reason for this is a decrease in the amount of sex hormones. They control most of the body's reactions, as they are concentrated in the blood. It makes up a significant part of the secretions excreted from the genital tract. If a woman donates blood during her period, her condition may worsen even further, even to the point of fainting or prolonged loss of consciousness;
It is also significant that the composition of the blood changes noticeably during menstruation. The amount of such an important component as . This is due to a decrease in the volume of red blood cells carrying it. Hemoglobin delivers oxygen to tissues, ensuring vital processes. Hormonal changes contribute to a decrease in its amount during the menstrual period, worsening overall health. And donating blood during menstruation will further reduce this figure;
During menstruation, a woman's immune system is suppressed. This is not only of immediate importance, when her health worsens and the risk of infection increases. In the future, when donating at this stage of the cycle, the possibilities for restoration and renewal of the reproductive system are limited;
During menstruation, some women's meanings also change. It may increase or decrease, but in all cases the condition is not conducive to manipulation of fluid intake. Menstruation and blood donation are additional stress that can negatively affect vascular tone;
The sensations that a woman experiences during her period require taking painkillers or antispasmodics. All of them inevitably end up in the blood. When donating biological fluid for transfusion, this is unacceptable, as it distorts its indicators and deteriorates its quality.

When can you donate blood during your period?

The ban on donating blood during menstruation concerns the female donor and is due to the impact on her well-being. But the biological fluid itself, although it has some deviations from the average values for the most important indicators, is still suitable for transfusion if it does not contain drugs.

Taking this into account, it is possible to donate blood during menstruation only in extreme cases, when this is the only opportunity to save the patient. But it should be borne in mind that the quality of the biological fluid will still change, due to a decrease in the number of leukocytes, platelets and red blood cells.

Before critical days

Donation before menstruation is also not encouraged by doctors for the reasons already mentioned, if blood donation is planned immediately before the critical days. Although her indicators have changed in the other direction: the number of red blood cells is increased, and hemoglobin is increased. But all this is intended to ensure the process of menstruation, or rather more or less normal well-being these days.

Donating blood on the eve of your period means increasing outside influence on them. And although the manipulation is carried out simply and quite quickly, it provokes anxiety, which can delay their arrival. In addition, the biological fluid at this moment has increased viscosity, which makes it difficult to collect and increases the pain of the procedure. Therefore, as a rule, blood is not donated 5 days before critical periods.

Consequences of donation for critical days

The impact of donation on menstruation can be not only momentary, worsening the state of health at the moment, if both of these events coincide or are close in time. Even when a woman donates blood outside her menstrual period, she should be prepared for the following:

After donation there is no period on time. The reason for this is not so much the blood sampling, but the stress that the manipulation itself causes, especially if this is done for the first time. The anxiety associated with donating blood can cause hormonal imbalance, and a deficiency of these substances will be the direct culprit of the delay. All this is provided that the test proves the absence of pregnancy;
My period arrived immediately after the donation. Such a shift may be associated both with stress caused by the procedure and with hormonal disorders, to which blood donation is not involved. In the first case, everything should improve in the next cycle, since a woman can be a donor no more than 4 times a year. But menstrual flow after donating blood occurs more than usual. This is how the body saves resources for recovery.

Donating blood to save others, most likely complete strangers, is necessary. But donation that happens during menstruation will bring more trouble than good. Therefore, you should not deceive doctors in order to satisfy your noble impulse right now or get an extra day off. The loss of a noticeable amount of blood for the body will lead to the fact that instead of doing their direct duties, specialists will be forced to revive the female donor. Perhaps, because of such a reaction during manipulation, she will be given a medical exemption for this activity. And the woman herself will then have to recover much longer.

Collection of biomaterial for donation

A strong desire to help a stranger who needs a blood transfusion is a factor that is very popular among people. However, women during menstruation are strictly prohibited from donating material. And many are interested in the question, why not? Taking blood and having menstruation at the same time can have a negative impact on the female body. The problem is that during menstruation, the level of hemoglobin decreases, and this can play a bad role in the general condition of a woman’s body. A negative reaction of the body occurs due to severe stress to which the body is exposed during blood sampling.

When taking a donation test, situations may arise that negatively affect a woman’s health. We are talking about the possible opening of severe bleeding and, as a result, extensive blood loss. This is, in principle, the main answer to the exciting question. This is why it is best to avoid taking blood for donation during menstrual periods.

Why can’t you donate blood immediately after your period? Immediately after the end of the menstrual cycle, you should not run to the laboratory for research, because the body has not yet recovered from the stress it has suffered.

The best time to collect biological fluid for donation is considered to be 5-6 days after the end of menstruation, when the female body has returned to normal. It is also not recommended to hide the fact that during the period of blood sampling you are menstruating, because you will harm, first of all, yourself and your precious health.

Possible changes to results

As described above, during the study during menstruation, some parameters of the biological fluid may change. For example, giving a complete blood count during menstruation may increase the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, as opposed to giving blood after menstruation. This feature of this indicator can lead to an error in deciphering the study and, as a rule, to incorrect diagnosis. This is why it is recommended to re-donate blood at the end of the cycle.

In addition to the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, other negative factors may also appear. Namely:

decreased clotting;
decrease in the number of leukocytes and platelets;
increase in the content of blood cells (erythrocytes);
hemoglobin levels decrease.

It should also be noted that all of the listed features that arise when conducting analysis during menstruation may produce incorrect research results. You should especially not donate blood during menstruation if you need to identify cancer tumors, because in 100% of cases the test will be incorrect.

Best time to explore

The most effective period for donating blood is considered to be the period from 7 to 15 days of the menstrual cycle. It is at this time that the results of the tests being studied will be most reliable. An exceptional case may be taking a test for urgent consultation with a doctor and prescribing the necessary medications. If a situation suddenly arises that it is necessary to urgently submit material for examination, then be sure to inform the doctor that the examination was carried out during menstruation. A timely warning from the doctor will help correct the results of the test.

No matter what problem arises, there is no need to rush to see a doctor. This suggests that the female body is not always ready for diagnostics. This factor works not only during menstruation, but also during pregnancy. It is during the period of waiting for a child that numerous changes occur in a woman’s body, and, as a rule, some blood parameters during the study can be either overestimated or underestimated.

Blood tests are not recommended during menstruation, because... results may be incorrect. It is also strictly forbidden to donate material for donor purposes, because Drawing blood may cause bleeding.

It is not advisable to take an analysis for tumor markers during menstruation, i.e. to determine malignant tumors, because in all cases, after such an analysis is carried out during menstruation, the results will be unreliable.

All women need to keep in mind that simple rules should not be neglected. It is important to choose the right institution and doctor who will conduct the blood test. It is better to spend a little time finding a specialist than to run to different laboratories and take repeated tests.

A general blood test is required to be performed regularly, and not in case of illness. This will help monitor the condition of the body and, if necessary, provide timely assistance. Regardless of the type of blood test, be it general or any other, it is necessary to periodically check the quantitative indicator of red blood cells, leukocytes and platelets. Blood plasma also requires a detailed study of the most important indicators for human life.

There are a number of features and prohibitions when preparing for. One special case is a blood test during menstruation. For the body, this is a kind of shock; physiological malaise exhausts it in every possible way. A blood test during such a period may be unreliable, since some indicators increase and others decrease. Of course, it is impossible to ban tests on such days, but some inaccuracies must be taken into account.

For greater objectivity, you need to warn your health care provider about your condition. If there is no urgent need to carry out this particular period, for example, it is better to refrain from such a procedure. For, a woman is absolutely not suitable on days like this. during menstruation is lowered, and blood transfusion will aggravate the situation.

Donation is allowed only in cases of emergency when the patient is losing a lot of blood. The same can be said about control tests to finalize the diagnosis.

No matter how accurate the equipment with which laboratory research is carried out, during menstruation it will be distorted and the indicators will be shifted.

To determine whether it is possible to take a blood test during menstruation, you need to weigh the pros and cons together with your doctor. in a clinical blood test will differ from the true data. When a blood test during menstruation showed an increased level of ESR, this means a strong inflammatory process in the body or infectious diseases. During menstruation, the norm of blood indicators is different, so there is no need to rush into confirming a definite diagnosis.

A blood test during menstruation indicates that lymphocytes, the number of which decreases along with platelets, while erythrocytes, on the contrary, increase in number. may also fall. Almost the entire range of indicators will give false information about changes in the body. If the menstrual period is complicated by a painful syndrome, women often take medications, which also affect the test result. It is important to take this feature into account when diagnosing, since deciphering the analysis during menstruation will definitely be incorrect.

There are variations of blood tests during menstruation, for which this particular period is convenient. Some recommend checking just from the first to the fifth days of menstruation. These include, first of all, numerous hormonal tests. For example, such as: checking prolactin levels, determining follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones, studying the levels of cortisol, testosterone and estradiol.

Gynecologists advise taking the mentioned types of tests from the fifth to seventh days of the menstrual cycle. It is also important to know that monitoring the presence of infections of certain groups is not subject to distortion by the period of menstruation.

Permissible limits

Let's start with the first stage of deciphering a blood test - leukocytes. The normal state of a person is characterized by an indicator in the range from three to ten thousand per ml. - this is a disorder that is not catastrophic in a blood test during menstruation. During menopause, this indicates the presence of infectious, fungal or viral diseases.

If the desire to get tested is of a preventive nature, it is better to calculate the best time for this in advance. We are not talking about the need for immediate consultation with a doctor or drug treatment. The doctor, warned that the analysis was done during menstruation, will be able to correctly diagnose the patient’s condition, taking into account the deviation from the norm of certain quantitative blood parameters.

The special structure of the female body makes it not always ready to make a correct diagnosis. The same applies to pregnancy. Bearing a child is not an easy ordeal for a woman, so changes in blood levels are possible at this time, as during menstruation. Pregnancy is not the best period for carrying out preventive tests, unless it is necessary to monitor the condition of the pregnancy and the health of the child.

The chance of obtaining a high-quality description of blood tests will increase if they are carried out by qualified specialists from trusted clinics and diagnostic centers. Otherwise, you can spend extra time on numerous control tests to clarify the diagnosis.