Are you that kind of person who celebrates milestones of your life with getting a tattoo? These milestones could be anything, including the things you achieved, or the things you could not achieve but taught you a lesson. If you are this person, then you must have wondered if you can donate blood with all the tattoos on your body? There are lots of rumors on how can one donate blood, or if at all they are allowed to donate blood. So let's get into its nitty gritty!

As per American Red Cross, in most states, a tattoo is acceptable if the tattoo was applied by a state-regulated entity. Which means the tattoo artist must be licensed and must practice following all the guidelines, using sterile needles and ink that is not reused. The same is the guideline for cosmetic tattoos, which includes microblading of eyebrows. If it is done by a licensed artist in a regulated state, then it is acceptable.

However, if you got your tattoo in a state that does not regulate tattoo facilities, you must wait three months after it was applied.

The states that do not regulate tattoo facilities are:

• Arizona
• District of Columbia
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Utah
• Wyoming

Body Piercing

Similar is the case with body piercings. It has to be done following the regulation, here the key is that the instrument used has to be a single-use equipment and disposable. Which means if you are getting it by a gun, or an earring cassette, they have to be disposable. In case you got your piercing with a reusable gun or a reusable instrument, you will be required to wait for three months.

Three-Month Wait Period

The reason behind the wait time is associated with the concerns of hepatitis, which could be easily transmitted from donors to patients through transfusion. All blood donations are thus tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C, with several tests. However, not always are these tests are perfect, thus the three-month period is given.

What Dangers Loom Over?

Donating blood after getting a tattoo can be dangerous as unclean tattoo needle could carry bloodborne viruses, which are hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its guideline, making the wait time shorter from one year to three months. This is because if you contract a bloodborne illness, it could be detectable within the period of 3 months.

What else makes you ineligible to donate blood?

There are other reasons why you may not be allowed to donate blood. As per the American Red Cross, you are not allowed to donate blood if you have

• hepatitis B or C
• HIV
• Chagas disease, which is a parasitic infection that kissing bugs cause
• leishmaniasis, a parasitic infection that sand flies cause
• Cruetzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a rare disorder that leads to mental deterioration
• Ebola virus
• hemochromatosis, which means extreme build up of iron
• hemophilia
• jaundice
• sickle cell disease

As per the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Blood Bank, these conditions make you permanently ineligible from donating blood.

While there are certain conditions that makes your permanently ineligible, there are other conditions that makes you temporarily ineligible from donating blood. These include:

• If you have a bleeding condition, and have issues with your blood clotting
• If you have received transfusion from a person
• If you have cancer. Here, the eligibility depend son the type of cancer you have
• If you have recently underwent a dental or oral surgery. In such a case, you would have to wait for three days
• If you had a recent heart attack, heart surgery or angina. You must wait for 6 months
• If you are pregnant, you can only donate blood after 6 months after delivering your child

When we think of perimenopause, irregular periods, hot flashes and mood changes usually come to mind. But the transition to menopause is not limited to the menstrual cycle. Behind the scenes, changing ovarian hormones—particularly fluctuating and eventually declining estrogen—can influence body composition, insulin sensitivity, cholesterol levels, bone health and cardiovascular risk.

For many women, these metabolic changes begin years before their final menstrual period.

Why does weight suddenly behave differently?

A common concern during perimenopause is: “I haven’t changed my diet, so why am I gaining weight around my abdomen?”

Ageing itself contributes to gradual loss of muscle mass and changes in energy expenditure. At the same time, the menopausal transition is associated with a shift in fat distribution, with a greater tendency to accumulate visceral or abdominal fat.

This matters because visceral fat is metabolically active. An increase in abdominal fat can be associated with insulin resistance, abnormal cholesterol levels and a higher risk of metabolic disease. So, the change in waist circumference may sometimes tell us more about metabolic health than the number on the weighing scale alone.

Also read: After Menopause, These Breast Changes Shouldn’t Be Ignored

Blood sugars may raise up too

Estrogen interacts with several pathways involved in glucose and fat metabolism. During midlife, changes in body composition, reduced physical activity, sleep disturbance and hormonal changes can collectively make insulin sensitivity less favourable.

This does not mean every woman going through perimenopause will develop diabetes. However, women who already have risk factors—such as overweight or obesity, prediabetes, a history of gestational diabetes or a strong family history of type 2 diabetes—should be particularly mindful.

Cholesterol and heart health deserve attention

The menopausal transition can also be accompanied by unfavourable changes in the lipid profile, including changes in LDL cholesterol. Cardiovascular risk increases with age, and menopause is an important time to reassess risk factors such as blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, smoking, physical activity and body composition.

Women often spend years focusing on reproductive health while overlooking these equally important metabolic markers.

Also read: World Menopause Day: Is It Empty Nest Syndrome Or Menopause Symptoms? Expert Explains

Muscles and bones need attention as well

Midlife is also an important period for protecting muscle and bone. Declining estrogen after menopause accelerates bone loss, while ageing contributes to loss of muscle mass.

Resistance training therefore becomes especially valuable. Adequate protein intake, regular weight-bearing exercise, sufficient calcium and vitamin D, good sleep and avoiding smoking can support healthier ageing.

What should women do?

Perimenopause should not be viewed as a disease, nor should every symptom or kilogram gained in midlife automatically be blamed on hormones. Instead, it is an opportunity for a metabolic health check.

Women should discuss appropriate screening for blood pressure, blood glucose or HbA1c, lipid profile, weight and waist circumference monitoring , DEXA scan for bone health, depending on their individual risk factors.

Most importantly, don’t wait for menopause to start thinking about metabolic health. The perimenopausal years can be an important window to build muscle, improve fitness, optimise nutrition and identify metabolic risk early.

Perimenopause is more than a change in periods—it is a transition in whole-body health. Understanding these changes early can help women enter the next phase of life stronger, healthier and better prepared.

(By Dr. Seema Daksh, MBBS, MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Endocrinology), Consultant Endocrinologist,Kailash Hospital, Greater Noida)

Loud habitual snoring is often dismissed as a nuisance or simply a part of sleeping. For some people, it may be an early warning sign of obstructive sleep apnoea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly slows or stops during sleep. When left unaddressed, sleep apnoea can quietly strain the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms, heart attack and stroke.

Snoring happens when relaxed tissues in the throat vibrate as air moves through a narrowed airway. Not everyone who snores has a problem and occasional snoring is common. However loud and regular snoring, especially when a bed partner notices pauses in breathing, choking or gasping should not be ignored. It may indicate sleep apnoea, where the airway collapses repeatedly during sleep.

Each time breathing stops, oxygen levels drop. The brain briefly wakes the body up to restart breathing. Most people do not remember these interruptions but their body feels the effects. Over time, this cycle can disturb sleep, raise blood pressure, increase inflammation and put pressure on the cardiovascular system.

Also read: ‘Godzilla’ Drug Retatrutide Reverses Sleep Apnea In 1 In 4 Diabetes Patients

Risk factor & symptoms

Sleep apnoea is increasingly recognised as a risk factor for stroke. It can worsen hypertension. Contribute to atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that raises the likelihood of a stroke. The concern becomes greater in people who already have conditions such as diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol or a family history of heart disease.

For them, untreated sleep apnoea may add to the strain on the heart and blood vessels. A landmark study by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi estimates that roughly 104 million Indians suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), with about 47 million cases classified as moderate to severe.

There are also signs that should prompt a conversation with a doctor. Waking up unrefreshed despite spending hours in bed, feeling excessively sleepy during the day, experiencing morning headaches, and struggling to concentrate or becoming unusually irritable can all be linked to poor-quality sleep caused by sleep apnoea. If snoring is accompanied by any of these symptoms a sleep study may be recommended to confirm whether it is snoring or a more serious breathing disorder.

Remedies

The reassuring part is that sleep apnoea is treatable. Depending on its cause and severity, doctors may suggest weight management where relevant, avoiding alcohol and sedatives close to bedtime, treating congestion, changing sleep position, using an oral appliance or undergoing CPAP therapy, which keeps the airway open during sleep.

The message is not to worry about every snore but to take loud snoring seriously particularly when it comes with breathing pauses or daytime tiredness. Early diagnosis can improve sleep, energy and overall quality of life while helping reduce long-term risks to the heart and the brain.

Perimenopause is often described as a transition marked by hot flashes, mood swings and irregular periods. Because these changes are common, many women simply accept them as an inevitable part of ageing. But the years around menopause are also an important turning point for cardiovascular health.

The connection is partly hormonal. As ovarian function changes, oestrogen levels fluctuate and eventually decline. Oestrogen has several favourable effects on the cardiovascular system, including effects on blood vessels, cholesterol metabolism and vascular function. Its decline does not suddenly “cause” heart disease, but it can coincide with changes in blood pressure, cholesterol, body fat, glucose metabolism and vascular health that collectively increase cardiovascular risk.

When Menopause Symptoms Could Signal A Heart Problem

Not every symptom during perimenopause is cardiac. Hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbance, anxiety and palpitations are common. However, new, severe or unusual symptoms deserve attention—particularly in women who have cardiovascular risk factors.

Chest discomfort is one symptom that should never automatically be attributed to menopause. Women may experience coronary disease differently from the classic crushing chest pain often described in men. Pressure, tightness, burning or discomfort in the chest, upper abdomen, back, jaw or arms may occur. Breathlessness, unusual fatigue, nausea, sweating or light-headedness can also accompany cardiac problems.

Palpitations And Irregular Heartbeats: When To Seek Help

Similarly, repetitive palpitations should not simply be labelled as hormonal. Perimenopausal fluctuations, stress, poor sleep and hot flashes can increase awareness of the heartbeat, but persistent rapid or irregular heartbeats, particularly when associated with dizziness, fainting, chest discomfort or breathlessness, warrant evaluation.

Increase in Blood pressure is another important warning sign. Hypertension is often silent, and women may discover it incidentally during this period. Repeated elevated readings should be assessed rather than attributed to stress.

Oestrogen influences the endothelium—the inner lining of blood vessels—and contributes to healthy vascular function. During the menopausal transition, hormonal fluctuations and eventual oestrogen decline occur alongside changes in lipid metabolism and body composition.

LDL cholesterol may rise, while HDL and triglyceride patterns can also change. Fat distribution often shifts towards the abdomen, even without a dramatic change in overall body weight. Muscle mass may decline and insulin resistance can increase.

Blood pressure may also rise with age. Sleep disruption, reduced physical activity, stress and changes in diet can further compound these effects.

It is important, however, not to think of menopause as a single switch that suddenly transforms a woman from low-risk to high-risk. Traditional risk factors like obesity, diabetes, smoking etc can increase the risk profile. Menopause is better understood as a period when existing risk factors may become more apparent or begin to accelerate.

Also read: Times Network India Health Summit 2026 Key Takeaways: AI, Fertility, AYUSH, Cancer Care And More

Prevention should begin before menopause

The menopausal transition provides an excellent opportunity for a cardiovascular “health audit.”

Know your numbers. Blood pressure, fasting glucose or HbA1c, lipid profile and weight/waist circumference should be assessed according to individual risk. A woman with diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, premature menopause or a strong family history of premature coronary disease may require more intensive assessment.

Keep moving. Regular aerobic activity combined with resistance training is particularly valuable. Brisk walking, cycling, swimming or similar activities can be complemented by strength training two or more times a week. Physical activity helps control blood pressure, glucose, weight and cholesterol while preserving muscle mass.

Pay attention to diet. A heart-healthy dietary pattern should emphasise vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds and appropriate sources of protein, while limiting highly processed foods, excess sugar, refined carbohydrates, trans fats and excessive salt. Alcohol should be limited.

Do not smoke. Smoking substantially increases cardiovascular risk, and stopping at any age provides meaningful benefit.

Protect sleep and manage stress. Insomnia and night sweats are common during perimenopause, but persistent sleep deprivation can adversely affect blood pressure, glucose regulation, appetite and overall cardiovascular health. Treating significant sleep problems is therefore part of cardiovascular prevention—not simply improving.

Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) should not be viewed as a treatment for preventing heart attacks. Its cardiovascular effects depend on factors such as age, timing relative to menopause, the formulation used, route of administration and a woman’s underlying cardiovascular and thrombotic risk.

For women with troublesome menopausal symptoms, the decision about MHT should therefore be individualised after discussing benefits, risks and alternatives with an appropriately qualified clinician. Hormone therapy should not be started solely for cardiovascular protection.

A new perspective on menopause

Perhaps the most important message is that perimenopause should not be regarded simply as a collection of symptoms to be endured. It is also an opportunity to identify cardiovascular risk.

The hormonal transition is natural. Cardiovascular disease is not inevitable. Recognising this window as an opportunity for prevention can help women enter the postmenopausal years with a healthier heart—and with a clearer understanding that caring for cardiovascular health is an essential part of healthy ageing.