How Much Blood Is in Your Body and How Much You Can Lose
How much blood can you lose?Blood volume measurement
Overview
The amount of blood in the human body is generally equivalent to 7 percent of body weight. The average amount of blood in your body is an estimate because it can depend on how much you weigh, your and even where you live.
Babies: Babies born full-term have about 75 milliliters (mL) of blood per kilogram of their body weight. If a baby weighs about 8 pounds, they’ll have about 270 mL of blood in their body, or 0.07 gallons.Children: The average 80-pound child will have about 2,650 mL of blood in their body, or 0.7 gallons.Adults: The average adult weighing 150 to 180 pounds should have about 1.2 to 1.5 gallons of blood in their body. This is about 4,500 to 5,700 mL.Pregnant women: To support their growing babies, pregnant women usually have anywhere from 30 to 50 percent more blood volume than women who are not pregnant. This is about 0.3 to 0.4 additional gallons of blood.
Sometimes the amount of blood in the human body can differ based on where you live. For example, people who live at high altitudes have more blood because there isn’t as much oxygen at higher altitudes.
How much blood can you lose?
If you lose too much blood, your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen to support life. People who experience major injury and trauma, such as a car accident, may lose blood very quickly. Losing an excessive amount of blood is known as hemorrhagic shock. Doctors categorize hemorrhagic shock into four classes based on how much blood is lost. In class IV, the amount of blood loss can be fatal.
Here are the classes of hemorrhagic shockTrusted Source:
class Iclass IIclass IIIclass IVblood loss (mL)up to 750750 to 1,0001,500 to 2,000greater than 2,000blood loss (% of blood volume)up to 1515 to 3030 to 40greater than 40pulse rate (per minute)less than 100100 to 120120 to 140greater than 140blood pressurenormal or increaseddecreaseddecreaseddecreasedrespiratory rate (per minute)14 to 2020 to 3030 to 40greater than 35urine output (mL per hour)greater than 3020 to 305 to 15negligiblemental statusslightly anxiousmildly anxiousanxious, confusedconfused, lethargic
Your blood pressure and heart rate will stay close to normal as you lose up to 30 percent of your blood, or up to 1,500 mL of blood (0.4 gallons). After losing this amount of blood, you will experience the following:
You’ll start to have a rapid heart rate higher than 120 beats per minute.Your blood pressure will drop.Your breathing rate will go up.
If you lose more than 40 percent of your blood, you will die. This is about 2,000 mL, or 0.53 gallons of blood in the average adult.
It’s important to your blood.
Is there an exact amount?
You can lose quite a bit of blood without experiencing any side effects or complications. The exact amount depends on your size, age, and general health.
The amount of blood circulating within an individual depends on their size and weight, but the average human adult has nearly 5 liters of circulating blood. Women tend to have a lower blood volume than men.
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