Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It IsRisks of DonatingRisks of ReceivingMild Side EffectsSevere Side EffectsBenefits of DonatingRecoveryMeeting the Recipient
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What It Is
Risks of Donating
Risks of Receiving
Mild Side Effects
Severe Side Effects
Benefits of Donating
Recovery
Meeting the Recipient
Donating bone marrowcan have side effects and risks, but in general, it’s considered safe. You may still worry that donating bone marrow will hurt, or wonder about what’s involved in the process of joining the registry and becoming a bone marrow donor.
This article looks at the risks and side effects of bone marrow donation. It also covers what you can expect when you’ve chosen to donate your bone marrow andstem cells.
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What Is Bone Marrow Donation?
Your bone marrow has special cells inside it that make blood. When you donate bone marrow, you’re donating your healthy stem cells so that they can be given to someone who needs them because they have a disease like cancer.
To get your bone marrow cells, a person has to be a match (or at least a very close match) to your cells. This means their cells have to have the same antigens as yours, so their body can use them instead of seeing them as an invader and attacking them.
You have to meet certain requirements to be a bone marrow donor. These are the requirements:
There are also some things that can disqualify you from donating bone marrow:
This list is not exhaustive but gives you a few examples. There are also specific situations related to your health, like medications you take, that can affect your ability to become a bone marrow donor. You can talk to your provider if you’re not sure if you’re able to donate bone marrow.
What if I Have a Chronic Condition That is Well-Controlled?Having a chronic condition does not necessarily prevent you from joining the bone marrow donor registry. For example, some people with Crohn’s disease that is well-managed with medication or mild psoriasis are safely able to become bone marrow donors.
What if I Have a Chronic Condition That is Well-Controlled?
Having a chronic condition does not necessarily prevent you from joining the bone marrow donor registry. For example, some people with Crohn’s disease that is well-managed with medication or mild psoriasis are safely able to become bone marrow donors.
Process
Bone marrow donation happens in a hospital. You are given anesthesia to be “put to sleep” and taken to the operating room. The surgeon will use a needle to take bone marrow out of your hip (pelvic) bones.
The procedure itself does not take long, but you will need some time to recover. After you donate bone marrow, you might have pain or feel more tired than usual. Usually, you can go back to your normal routine in about a week.
What Are the Risks of Donating Bone Marrow?
Risks related to donating bone marrow are mostly related to the risk of the surgical procedure. Bone marrow is “harvested” using a needle, which is inserted into your hip. This happens in the controlled environment of an operating room where care is taken to make sure everything is clean (sterile) and done the right way to minimize the risk of any problems.
Does Donating Bone Marrow Hurt?You should not feel any pain during the procedure because you’ll be under anesthesia. However, you might have some discomfort when you wake up and for a couple of days after the procedure.
Does Donating Bone Marrow Hurt?
You should not feel any pain during the procedure because you’ll be under anesthesia. However, you might have some discomfort when you wake up and for a couple of days after the procedure.
Any time you havegeneral anesthesia, there are risks:
Other potential risks of a bone marrow donation include:
If instead of donating bone marrow you plan to donate peripheral blood stem cells (a donation done through a blood draw rather than abone marrow biopsyprocedure), know that there are alsorisks of donating stem cells for transplant.
Bone Marrow: Anatomy, Diseases, Transplants and Donations
What’s the Risk to the Bone Marrow Transplant Recipient?
The person who gets your bone marrow also faces some risks, though their providers will explain the risks and benefits of having the transplant to them before they have it.
The possible risks and complications of a bone marrow transplant include:
In some cases, bone marrow transplants do not cure a person of the disease they needed the transplant for and it comes back (recurs).
After the procedure, you may feel some mild side effects from the anesthesia, including:
Back or hip pain, headache, and muscle pain can also be side effects of donating bone marrow. You may also be sore in the region of your hip for a week or slightly more. Among people who donated bone marrow as part of the National Marrow Donor Program, most of them had some back and hip pain for a few days, as well as fatigue.
Severe Side Effects/Risks
According to the National Marrow Donor Program, 2.4% of people who donate bone marrow have serious complications.Very few bone marrow donors have any long-term complications from their donation.
Of the 12,000 stem cell donations that take place each year and few adverse events are reported. For example, in 2014 there were only nine reports of adverse events after bone marrow donation.
What Are the Benefits of Donating Bone Marrow?
When you become a bone marrow donor, you’ve taken a step that could save someone’s life. A person who needs bone marrow might even be cured of a disease if they can get the marrow you donated.
What’s the Recovery Process Like?
During the procedure, approximately 1 quart of bone marrow is withdrawn.To put it into perspective, that’s less than 5% of your bone marrow. The number of cells in your bone marrow is usually completely back to normal levels within four to six weeks, though your body can function perfectly fine in the meantime.
The procedure may be done as an outpatient, or you may spend a few days in the hospital. Some medical centers recommend taking seven to 10 days off of work following the procedure, but some people feel up to returning to work much sooner. On average, people feel completely back to “normal” in 20 days.
You might want to rest for a day or so after you donate bone marrow and take it easy for up to a week. You might not feel up to doing a heavy workout or chores, especially if you’re having some hip pain and swelling.
Can You Meet the Recipient?
If you are donating to an anonymous recipient, you may be wondering if you will have the chance to meet the person whose life you may have saved. Most agencies have fairly strict regulations about patient-donor contact but you may wish to contact your agency to ask about their policies.
Summary
Like all surgical procedures, there are some risks to donating bone marrow. It’s possible to experience a reaction to the anesthetic, for example, and there is also a risk of bleeding and infection. Other side effects of bone marrow donation include soreness at the site of the procedure and fatigue.
When considering any issue, it’s important to weigh the risks against the benefits. The risks of bone marrow donation are small, but the benefits to those who may receive your donation can be priceless. That said, donating bone marrow is not for everyone, and it’s important that you honor yourself in whatever choice you make.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins.Bone marrow transplantation.Be the Match.Health screening document.Be the Match.Medical guidelines.Be the Match.Donating bone marrow.Be the Match.Steps of PBSC or bone marrow donation.Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.Complications and side effects.National Marrow Donor Program.Donation FAQs.Szer J, Elmoazzen H, Fechter M, et al.Safety of living donation of hematopoietic stem cells.Transplantation. 2016;100(6):1329-31. doi:10.1097/TP.0000000000001223National Marrow Donor Program.Myths and facts about bone marrow donation.Additional ReadingBe the Match National Bone Marrow Donor Program. Donating bone marrow.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Donating bone marrow.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins.Bone marrow transplantation.Be the Match.Health screening document.Be the Match.Medical guidelines.Be the Match.Donating bone marrow.Be the Match.Steps of PBSC or bone marrow donation.Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.Complications and side effects.National Marrow Donor Program.Donation FAQs.Szer J, Elmoazzen H, Fechter M, et al.Safety of living donation of hematopoietic stem cells.Transplantation. 2016;100(6):1329-31. doi:10.1097/TP.0000000000001223National Marrow Donor Program.Myths and facts about bone marrow donation.Additional ReadingBe the Match National Bone Marrow Donor Program. Donating bone marrow.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Donating bone marrow.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Johns Hopkins.Bone marrow transplantation.Be the Match.Health screening document.Be the Match.Medical guidelines.Be the Match.Donating bone marrow.Be the Match.Steps of PBSC or bone marrow donation.Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.Complications and side effects.National Marrow Donor Program.Donation FAQs.Szer J, Elmoazzen H, Fechter M, et al.Safety of living donation of hematopoietic stem cells.Transplantation. 2016;100(6):1329-31. doi:10.1097/TP.0000000000001223National Marrow Donor Program.Myths and facts about bone marrow donation.
Johns Hopkins.Bone marrow transplantation.
Be the Match.Health screening document.
Be the Match.Medical guidelines.
Be the Match.Donating bone marrow.
Be the Match.Steps of PBSC or bone marrow donation.
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.Complications and side effects.
National Marrow Donor Program.Donation FAQs.
Szer J, Elmoazzen H, Fechter M, et al.Safety of living donation of hematopoietic stem cells.Transplantation. 2016;100(6):1329-31. doi:10.1097/TP.0000000000001223
National Marrow Donor Program.Myths and facts about bone marrow donation
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Be the Match National Bone Marrow Donor Program. Donating bone marrow.American Society of Clinical Oncology.Donating bone marrow.
Be the Match National Bone Marrow Donor Program. Donating bone marrow.
American Society of Clinical Oncology.Donating bone marrow.
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