Beyond the general health guidelines summarized in the section, "Who Can Be a Living Donor," there are health issues that may come to mind as you consider being a living organ donor.

For example, you may wonder whether you can continue actively engaging in contact sports after donating a kidney. You probably would be advised to forego boxing or tackle football, but doctors generally seem to impose few other limitations.

If you are a female, and wondering whether being a living donor might limit your future ability to bear a child, the answer appears to be that this should not be a concern.

The United Kingdom Guidelines for Living Donor Kidney Transplantation, published in January 2000, reviewed two research reports and draws this conclusion: "The presence of a solitary kidney does not appear to pose a significant risk during the course of a normal pregnancy."

The most common question probably is: What are the longterm consequences to my health?

Since living donor kidney transplants have been taking place for close to half a century, follow-up studies on donors living with one kidney have taken place, and have found no significant difference in health compared to the general population.

Because there have been far fewer living donor liver transplants -- with adult-to-adult donation, where a larger portion of the liver is taken from the donor, a relatively new phenomenon -- no studies of the long-term health consequences for donors exist at the present time.

If you have other questions relating to your activities, life-style, occupation, or future plans, and how they might be impacted by being a living donor, we encourage you to submit them to Transplant Week (and be sure to pose them to a transplant coordinator as part of your consideration).

Back to What Should I Consider

All information provided in this site is offered for educational purposes only, and it is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your own physician or healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.