Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can give blood in the US without abstaining from sex under updated federal health guidelines that focus on donors’ behavior, not their sexual orientation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines finalized on Thursday ease decades-old restrictions designed to protect the blood supply from HIV. The agency announced plans for the change in January and said this week the new approach can now be implemented by blood banks. The updated guidelines do away with a requirement that men who have sex with men abstain from sex for three months prior to giving blood. Instead, all potential donors – regardless of sexual orientation, sex or gender – will be screened with a new questionnaire that evaluates their individual risks for HIV based on sexual behavior, recent partners and other factors.