Donating plasma is a safe and relatively painless process. The procedure is performed by highly qualified personnel following stringent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. Needles and bags used to collect plasma are used only once and then discarded, making spread of infection to the donor virtually impossible. Plasma fluids are extracted from the body in a controlled process by a machine where the red blood cells and plasma are separated from each other. Afterwards, the red blood cells are returned back into the circulatory system and saline is given at the end of the procedure.
Reactions to donating plasma are uncommon, but when they do occur, generally are brief and consist of light headedness stemming mostly from lack of proper hydration prior to the procedure. Plasma consists mostly water and in a typical donation session someone may lose about a half a gallon of fluids.