The United Kingdom on Monday announced it would ease rules on blood donations for gay and bisexual men.

Under the new rules, which will take effect over the summer, men who have been in a monogamous relationship in the last three months will be allowed to donate blood. Currently, gay men must abstain from sex for three months to qualify to donate blood.

The BBC reports that men with multiple partners will also be allowed to donate blood as long as they did not have anal sex, which is considered a “high risk” act for HIV infection.

Donors who have engaged in chemsex in the last three months or treated for syphilis in the last twelve months will still need to abstain from sex for three months before they can donate blood.

Britain is one of the first countries to adopt such risk-based rules for blood donation.

Dr. Michael Brady, medical director at Terrence Higgins Trust, said that the changes “will allow many more gay and bisexual men to safely donate blood.”

“The move to a more individualized assessment is grounded in a robust evidence base, and the decision will increase the number of potential donors while also ensuring the safety of the UK's blood supply,” he told UK LGBT glossy Attitude.

The United States in March shortened the deferral period for gay men who want to donate blood from 12 months to 3.

In September, Democratic lawmakers in the House introduced a bill that seeks to end the FDA's ban on gay men donating blood.

(Related: Mike Quigley, Val Demings introduce bill to end gay blood ban.)