What Are the Risks of Donating a Kidney?

What Are the Risks of Donating a Kidney?

• Life expectancy after donation is the same as that of people with two kidneys. A single kidney is able to meet the body's needs very well as it enlarges to do the work formerly shared by both kidneys.
• Donors are tested and re-tested prior to surgery to ensure overall good health for the best possible outcomes. Only healthy people are accepted as donors. The safety of the donor is of the utmost importance.
• Living kidney donation surgery is considered a relatively safe procedure, but it is still a major surgery with the potential for complications.
• It is recommended that female donors wait at least six months after donation surgery before becoming pregnant.