Hormone Replacement and Sex Hormone Therapy

Hormone Therapy: Includes any form of sex hormones, such as:

• Tablets, patches or topical gels as treatment for menopausal symptoms
• Testosterone replacement therapy
• Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy (masculinising or feminising hormones taken to support transition)
• Growth hormones used to treat children

See: Is there an entry for the condition for which the hormones are being given?

Must not donate if:
a) Used for malignancy.

b) A recipient of human gonadotrophin of pituitary origin.

c) A recipient of human pituitary growth hormone.

1. All tissues:
a) If treated with gonadotrophins that were exclusively non-pituitary derived, accept.

b) If treated with growth hormone that was exclusively recombinant, accept.

c) If treatment for menopausal symptoms or osteoporosis prevention, accept.

d) If treatment is for a shortage of sex hormones, e.g. in some cases of erectile dysfunction and is not related to the treatment of malignancy, accept.

2. Eyes:
If related to malignancy, see Malignancy.

Growth Hormone
Haemochromatosis
Prion Associated Diseases
Steroid Therapy
Thyroid Disease
Transgender and Non-Binary Individuals

There are many reasons why an individual may be deficient in a specific hormone. If this is related directly to malignancy, or to the treatment of malignancy, or to the use of pituitary derived hormones (these have been linked with prion associated diseases), the donor cannot donate in order to protect any person who may receive a donation from that individual. As well as hormones, donors may take other medication to modify the effect of sex hormones as part of gender-affirming treatment. This may include hormone blockers, such as anti-androgens.

Title changed. Added ‘Include’ and ‘Additional information’ sections, and amended ‘obligatory’ ‘discretionary’ and ‘links’ sections.