By state law, the minimum age at which a person may become a blood donor is 17 years of age. Although a maximum age limit was in effect in the past, there is no longer an upper age limit for giving blood through the American Red Cross. How much blood do I have in my body? As a general rule, women have approximately 10 pints and men have approximately 12 pints of blood. How long does it take to give blood? The donation process includes registration, a brief medical screening, the blood collection, and time for refreshments in the canteen. For whole blood the entire donation process usually takes about one hour and the blood collection segment is usually about 10 minutes. For apheresis (platelet) collections the entire process is about two hours. Are the health history questions and my test results confidential? Yes. The health history will be conducted by a trained professional in an individual booth arranged to preserve confidentiality. Your answers will be kept confidential, except wh