Kidney Donation

One Healthy Kidney Can Change—and Save—a Life

Living kidney donation allows a healthy person to give one kidney to someone whose kidneys are failing. Most people are born with two kidneys, but one healthy kidney can perform the work the body needs. A living-donor transplant may help a patient receive a kidney sooner, avoid or shorten time on dialysis, and schedule surgery when the donor, recipient, and transplant teams are ready.

Donation can be directed to a relative, friend, acquaintance, or another specific person, or non-directed to someone the donor does not know. MatchingDonors.com helps potential living donors and patients find one another. A U.S. transplant center independently evaluates every donor, determines compatibility, approves donation, and performs the transplant.

Create My Donor Profile

Who can become a living kidney donor?

Potential donors must be adults who can make a voluntary, informed decision and are healthy enough for major surgery. MatchingDonors.com requires potential donors using its service to be at least 21. Transplant programs set their own medical criteria, and creating an online profile does not guarantee approval.

Medical evaluation: a complete health history, physical examination, blood and urine tests, kidney-function testing, infection screening, and heart and lung assessment.
Kidney imaging: CT or MRI scans help the surgical team examine kidney size, anatomy, blood vessels, and other features.
Psychosocial evaluation: the team considers motivation, emotional readiness, support at home, financial concerns, and whether anyone is pressuring the donor.
Independent advocacy: an Independent Living Donor Advocate protects the donor's interests and helps the donor understand choices, risks, and rights.

Conditions such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, active cancer, certain infections, or an untreated psychiatric condition may prevent donation. Decisions are individualized, and programs may differ in how they assess risk. A donor may stop the evaluation at any time.

How kidney matching works

The transplant center checks the donor's blood type, tissue type, crossmatch, kidney health, and other medical factors. A crossmatch looks for signs that the recipient's immune system could react strongly against the donor kidney. Being related is not required, and a close tissue match is not always necessary because recipients take medicines that reduce rejection risk.

If a willing donor is not compatible with an intended recipient, kidney paired donation may create another path. In a paired exchange, two or more incompatible donor-recipient pairs are matched so each donor gives to a compatible recipient. A non-directed donor may also begin a chain that helps several people receive transplants.

Surgery and recovery

Kidney donation surgery takes place at a transplant hospital. Surgeons usually remove a kidney through several small incisions using a laparoscopic or robotic-assisted approach, although an open procedure is sometimes needed. The donor's remaining kidney adapts and takes on additional work; the removed kidney does not grow back.

Living kidney donors typically stay in the hospital for about two to three days. Pain, fatigue, and reduced stamina are common early in recovery. Many donors gradually return to normal activities in about six to twelve weeks, but timing depends on healing, the type of surgery, and the donor's job. The transplant team gives individualized guidance about driving, lifting, exercise, work, travel, and follow-up.

Risks, safety, and long-term health

Most living kidney donors go on to live active, healthy lives, but donation is major surgery and provides no medical benefit to the donor. Short-term risks can include pain, bleeding, infection, blood clots, reactions to anesthesia, injury to nearby tissue, hernia, need for another operation, and—rarely—death.

Every kidney donor has less total kidney function after donation than before. Possible long-term concerns include high blood pressure, reduced kidney function, pregnancy-related complications, emotional distress, and a small risk of future kidney failure. Individual risk depends on age, health, family history, and other factors. The transplant team should explain the donor's personal risks, the program's outcomes, what is known and unknown about long-term effects, and the importance of lifelong routine medical care.

Costs and financial planning

The recipient's insurance generally covers the donor's transplant-related evaluation, surgery, and hospital care, but coverage varies. It may not pay for travel, lodging, lost wages, dependent care, routine health testing, treatment of an unrelated condition found during evaluation, or some long-term follow-up. Donation may also affect access to or pricing for life, disability, or long-term-care insurance.

Ask the transplant center's financial coordinator exactly what is covered before testing begins. Eligible donors may receive assistance for travel, lodging, lost wages, and dependent care through the National Living Donor Assistance Center. Applications should be discussed with the transplant center and generally approved before covered expenses occur. Federal law prohibits buying or selling an organ or receiving anything of value in exchange for donation.

Support from MatchingDonors.com and your care team

Kidney donation affects patients, potential donors, and their families. MatchingDonors.com offers more than a place to connect: our team can help people find compassionate support from healthcare professionals, kidney and transplant mentors, patients, family mentors, and legal or advocacy specialists.

Healthcare professionals: speak with experienced physicians, specialists, nurses, healthcare professionals, or medical volunteers about general kidney, transplant, diabetes, and dialysis questions.
Kidney and transplant mentors: connect with experienced peer mentors who understand kidney disease, dialysis, transplantation, and living donor options.
Patient and family mentors: hear from people with firsthand experience navigating donation, dialysis, transplant, and family caregiving.
Legal and advocacy support: discuss general concerns involving disability, Medicare, insurance, discrimination, patient rights, or related legal issues.

These services complement the transplant center's donor coordinator, social worker, financial coordinator, pharmacist, and Independent Living Donor Advocate. Personal medical advice, eligibility, testing, matching, surgery, and follow-up must come from the transplant center.

The kidney-donation process

Learn and connect. Create a potential donor profile, respond to a patient's story, or contact a living-donor transplant program.
Complete initial screening. A coordinator reviews basic health information and explains the program.
Undergo evaluation. Medical, surgical, psychosocial, compatibility, and financial reviews protect the donor and recipient.
Explore matching options. If direct donation is not compatible, ask whether paired exchange or another program may be appropriate.
Make an independent decision. The program decides whether donation can proceed safely; the donor separately decides whether to continue.
Plan surgery and recovery. The teams coordinate timing, hospitalization, help at home, work leave, and follow-up.

Common questions

Can someone live normally with one kidney?

Most carefully selected donors live healthy, active lives with one kidney. Donors still need lifelong healthy habits, routine medical care, blood-pressure checks, and kidney-function monitoring.

Does a donor need to be related to the recipient?

No. A donor may give to a relative, friend, acquaintance, or someone they do not know. The transplant center determines medical suitability and compatibility.

What if I want to help someone but we do not match?

Kidney paired donation may allow you to donate to another compatible recipient while another donor gives to the person you intended to help. Ask the transplant center about available exchange options.

Will a kidney donor need anti-rejection medicine?

No. The remaining kidney belongs to the donor, so anti-rejection medicine is not needed. The transplant recipient will need immunosuppressive medicine to reduce rejection risk.

Can a donor change their mind?

Yes. Donation must be voluntary, and a donor may stop at any point, including after evaluation. The transplant team protects donor privacy and can help communicate that donation will not proceed.

Does creating a MatchingDonors.com profile approve me to donate?

No. A profile expresses interest and may help you connect with a patient. Only a transplant center can evaluate and approve a donor, confirm a safe match, obtain informed consent, and perform surgery.

Ready to take the next step?

Becoming a potential kidney donor begins with learning, honest reflection, and a confidential medical evaluation. MatchingDonors.com can help you connect with a patient and find experienced support, while a qualified transplant team protects your health and guides every clinical decision.