Can I have blood drawn for testing during my period? Why do I have to draw blood from my ring finger?

Some tests require blood tests. So for girls, can blood be drawn during menstruation? Will it affect the results? Another way to draw blood is to poke a little on the fingertips. This is usually done on the ring finger. Why is this?

Can I have a blood test during my period?

This depends on what is being tested.

Some tests require blood tests during menstruation to get accurate results. For example, under normal circumstances, the test of six female sex hormones (luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, prolactin, testosterone, progesterone, and estradiol) requires that blood tests be done at the hospital between the third and fifth days of menstruation. This is because the hormone levels at this time are relatively stable, the error is small, and the results are accurate.

If you need to have your blood drawn for eight infection tests (hepatitis B, syphilis, and HIV infectious disease tests) or biochemical tests (liver function, kidney function, and ions), you can rest assured that your menstrual period will not affect the results of the above tests.

However, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, urine routine and stool routine tests cannot be done during menstruation periods as they may affect the examination.

Why do we draw blood from the ring finger?

The fingertips have a very rich capillary network and no large arteries and veins. Therefore, using the finger for blood collection can not only meet clinical needs, but also avoid a lot of bleeding. In addition, the ring finger has a special structure, with relatively fewer nerve endings, and is relatively less sensitive to pain.

The index and middle fingers are used more often, so they are not suitable for blood sampling. Only the synovial bursa of the index and ring fingers does not extend to the palm, but is "independent" and not connected to each other, so blood is usually drawn from the ring finger. Generally, the right hand is used more often, and it does not affect daily life, so it is most appropriate to draw blood from the left ring finger.

Items that cannot be tested by blood draw during menstruation

ESR

Women may experience physiological acceleration of erythrocyte sedimentation rate during menstruation, which may affect the results of blood tests, so blood tests should be avoided during menstruation.

Urinalysis

Remember not to do a routine urine test during menstruation. The routine urine test includes red blood cell items, because the red blood cells discharged during menstruation will interfere with the results of the red blood cell test. You can do a routine urine test 3 days after the menstruation is over.

Bowel routine

There is a fecal occult blood test in the stool routine test. The red blood cells during menstruation will interfere with the occult blood test results. If the stool routine test is done during menstruation, it is easy to misdiagnose it as gastrointestinal bleeding.