how to donate a bone marrow

How painful is donating bone marrow?

Some donors said the experience was more painful than they expected; others said it was less painful. Some donors describe the pain as similar to achy hip bones or falling on their buttocks. Others say it feels more like a strained muscle in the back. The ache may last a few days to several weeks.

What disqualifies you from being a bone marrow donor?

Chronic neck, back, hip, or spine pain. Common back problems such as sprains, strains and aches may not interfere with a bone marrow donation. However, you are not able to join if you have on-going, chronic, significant pain areas of the neck, back, hip, or spine that: Interferes with your daily activities AND.

Can anyone be a bone marrow donor?

They accept donors between the ages of 18 and 60. But because bone marrow transplant is most successful with younger donors, people ages 18 to 44 are preferred. Donors must be in excellent health. Certain diseases, medications, treatments and weight limits can exclude you from becoming a donor.

What are the risks of donating bone marrow?

The risks of this type of stem cell donation are minimal. Before the donation, you'll get injections of a medicine that increases the number of stem cells in your blood. This medicine can cause side effects, such as bone pain, muscle aches, headache, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.May 30, 2020

How much do you have to weigh to donate bone marrow?

There is not a minimum weight requirement. However, there are maximum BMI guidelines for donating marrow. These guidelines have been established to help ensure your safety as a donor. If you are called to donate, you will complete a health screening and physical exam before moving forward with donation.

How long does it take to recover from bone marrow donation?

1 to 7 daysRecovery from bone marrow and PBSC donation Marrow and PBSC donors should expect to return to work, school and most other activities within 1 to 7 days. Your marrow will return to normal levels within a few weeks.

How many times can you be a bone marrow donor?

Q: How many times can I donate? A: Because your marrow and blood stem cells completely regenerate, you can technically donate several times in your life. It is rare to come up as a match for several people. You may never get called as a potential match or you might get called once or twice in your lifetime.

When You are Contacted

A Be The Match Registry representative will contact you if your tissue type matches a patient needing a life-saving transplant. However, before you can donate your bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells, you will:

Donation of Bone Marrow or PBSC

After you agree to donate your bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells, the patient begins preparing for the transplant. By the time you begin the donation, the patient has finished treatment to prepare for the transplant and can no longer produce any healthy blood cells. The patient needs your healthy cells to live.

Your Safety is Important

The NMDP wants to ensure your safety before and after you donate your cells. Your Be The Match Registry* donor center coordinator will follow up with you until you are able to return to your normal activities.

Overview

If you are planning to donate stem cells, you have agreed to allow doctors to draw bone marrow stem cells from either your blood or bone marrow for transplantation.

Why it's done

Every year, thousands of people in the U.S. are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases, such as leukemia or lymphoma, for which a stem cell transplant is the best or the only treatment. Donated blood stem cells are needed for these transplants.

Risks

Bone marrow stem cells are collected from the posterior section of the pelvic bone under general anesthesia. The most serious risk associated with donating bone marrow involves the use and effects of anesthesia during surgery. After the surgery, you might feel tired or weak and have trouble walking for a few days.

How you prepare

If you want to donate stem cells, you can talk to your doctor or contact the National Marrow Donor Program, a federally funded nonprofit organization that keeps a database of volunteers who are willing to donate.

What you can expect

Collecting stem cells from bone marrow is a type of surgery and is done in the operating room. You'll be given an anesthetic for the procedure. Needles will be inserted through the skin and into the bone to draw the marrow out of the bone. This process usually takes one to two hours.

Results

Recovery times vary depending on the individual and type of donation. But most blood stem cell donors are able to return to their usual activities within a few days to a week after donation.

What you need to know about bone marrow transplants

A bone marrow transplant replaces diseased bone marrow with healthy tissue, usually stem cells found in the blood. That’s why bone marrow transplants are also called stem cell transplants. In an allogeneic transplantation (ALLO transplant), blood stem cells from the bone marrow are transplanted from a donor into the patient.

How a match is made

The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has a registry of potential donors that might be the match a patient needs. Here’s how the donation process works:

The bone marrow donation process

If you agree to donate bone marrow, you’ll likely do what’s called a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection. Here’s how it works:

How to donate bone marrow

For a bone marrow transplant to be successful, the donor and the recipient have to be well matched. Unlike matching blood types, matching bone marrow stem cells is a bit more complicated.

Bone marrow donation procedure

If you are a match for someone needing a transplant, you will start the process of donating bone marrow stem cells. This process is the same whether you are donating for a relative or for someone using the National Marrow Donor Program registry.

Bone marrow donation recovery

As you prepare to donate, you may be worried about possible bone marrow donation risks. The vast majority of donors experience few side effects — most of which are mild. Most donors report feeling completely recovered within a few weeks of their donation.

Joining the national bone marrow registry

The registry needs donors of all races and ethnicities to provide the best matches for the most patients. They accept donors between the ages of 18 and 60. But because bone marrow transplant is most successful with younger donors, people ages 18 to 44 are preferred.

Contact us

If you are interested in donating bone marrow to a relative in our care, please contact our Adult Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapies Program at 310-206-6909.

Know Everything You Can About Your Own Health History

In order to choose suitable bone marrow donation candidates, doctors and health professionals have to know a great deal about the potential donor’s health history. Thus, if you are going to try and sign up as a bone marrow donor, you will need to have information about your past health handy.

Know What Your Bone Marrow Will Be Used For

When you gather information about the bone marrow donation process, make sure to ask plenty of questions. You want to do everything you can to ease your mind and feel comfortable with the donation process.

Review the Consent Form Carefully

Many people are under the impression that donating bone marrow is very painful, but this is not always the case. If you are concerned about pain, you can talk with the clinic about what you can expect in this regard.

Prepare for a Physical

Most of the time, before donating bone marrow, you will be asked to undergo a standard physical exam. You have probably been through many such exams before. The purpose of these exams is to check your overall health and make sure that donating bone marrow is safe for you.

Overview

Why It's Done

Risks

How You Prepare

• If you want to donate stem cells, you can talk to your doctor or contact the National Marrow Donor Program, a federally funded nonprofit organization that keeps a database of volunteers who are willing to donate. If you decide to donate, the process and possible risks of donating will be explained t...

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What You Can Expect

Results

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