The honest risks
Is donating a kidney safe?
For healthy, carefully screened people, donating a kidney is considered safe, and most donors go back to normal life. It is still a major surgery with risks that are low but real. Here is the honest picture, so you can decide with clear eyes.
The surgery
Most donor surgeries are done laparoscopically, through small cuts. Expect a hospital stay of a day or two, soreness and tiredness for a few weeks, and a return to desk work in about 2 to 4 weeks. Serious complications are uncommon, and the transplant team will walk you through their own numbers.
Life with one kidney
Your remaining kidney grows a little and picks up most of the work. Kidney function drops after surgery and then stays steady over the long run, much as it does in healthy people who never donated. Donors are asked to have a yearly check of blood pressure, kidney function and urine, which is good advice for anyone.
Long-term kidney risk
This is the question that matters most. A large U.S. study of nearly 100,000 donors found that kidney failure was rare after donation: about 3 in 1,000 donors by 15 years. That is higher than for matched healthy people who did not donate, and lower than for the general public. If a donor ever does need a kidney, U.S. donors get priority on the waiting list.
Blood pressure and pregnancy
Donors have a somewhat higher chance of developing high blood pressure later, and women who donate and later become pregnant have a higher risk of high blood pressure in pregnancy. Your team will talk through both.
Do donors regret it?
Very few. Studies find that 86 to 98 percent of kidney donors say they would choose to donate again. Many describe it as one of the most meaningful things they have done.
Your safety net
Every U.S. donor is assigned an independent living donor advocate whose only job is to look out for you, not the recipient. You can stop at any time. If the team finds a reason donating would put you at too much risk, they will say no, and that no is there to protect you.
Common questions
Is it safe to donate a kidney?
For carefully screened healthy adults, yes. It is a major surgery with low but real risks, and most donors return to normal life within weeks.
What is the long-term risk of kidney failure after donating?
Rare. A large U.S. study found about 3 in 1,000 donors developed kidney failure within 15 years, higher than matched healthy non-donors but lower than the general population.
Do kidney donors regret donating?
Very few do. Studies find 86 to 98 percent of donors would donate again.
Can you live a normal life with one kidney?
Yes. The remaining kidney grows and takes over most of the work. Donors are encouraged to have a yearly checkup.
One man in Tulsa is waiting right now.
John Watkins is a dad, a husband and an assistant principal who needs a kidney. Anyone in the U.S. can start the free, private screening for him. You can stop at any step.
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