Giving blood: Donor stress and hemostasis Don't let your blood run cold

Does a donation induce stress in blood donors, and does this affect the donor’s hemostasis? Donation-induced psychological, hormonal and physiological stress response patterns during a blood donation procedure were examined, and the effects of donation-induced stress response on immediate changes in hemostatic parameters were investigated.
Results from a systematic review indicated the presence of a psychological stress response in donors, which was affected by donation experience. For hormonal and physiological stress responses data were less conclusive and did not show a universal pattern.
Routinely assessed cohort data provided evidence that negative experiences are associated with increased blood pressure at the subsequent visit in a group of predominantly experienced donors. These differences in blood pressure indicate the presence of an anticipatory stress reaction following a negative donation experience. When analyzing data from a group of first-time donors, this effect of blood pressure was not present, nor influenced by general anxiety and attitude to donating blood.
In a field study, blood donation-induced psychological, hormonal, and physiological stress response patterns in whole-blood donors were examined in a group of 399 donors, including both first-time and experienced donors, and men and women. Evidence was found for a donation-induced psychological, hormonal and physiological stress response. In short, psychological and physiological stress responses indicate a decrease in stress from pre- to post-donation, while peaking during needle insertion and uncoupling. These donation-induced stress responses were associated with small but clear pro-hemostatic effects. In conclusion, a whole-blood donation induces stress in blood donors, thereby affecting the donor’s hemostasis.