Blood Stem Cell Donation

Written by Stephanie Booth, Nicole Hollimon
Medically Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD on April 07, 2025
12 min read

Stem cells are the only cells in your body that can grow into over 200 different kinds of unique cells. If you have a stem cell transplant, diseased or damaged stem cells in your body are replaced with healthy new ones.

“To be a stem cell donor gives a patient with a blood disease like leukemia or other kinds of blood cancers a chance at curing their disease, a chance at life,” says Warren B. Fingrut, MD, assistant professor of stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Stem cell donations can be done in different ways, including:

Allogeneic stem cell donation. This involves a person giving healthy stem cells to another person who needs them. 

Autologous stem cell donation. Some of your own healthy stem cells are taken from your blood. Then, they’re given back to you after a treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation, kills the damaged or sick stem cells in your body.

A stem cell donation can be called different names, depending on where the cells come from.

Bone marrow transplant. This type of transplant is when stem cells are sourced from the spongy tissue inside your bones.

Peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBST). Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) are taken from your bloodstream during a PBST.

Umbilical cord transplant. This type of transplant uses stem cells from an umbilical cord. If you decide to donate or save your baby’s cord blood after their birth, it will be carefully collected, frozen, and stored in what’s called a cord blood bank. You often need to decide to do this before the 34th week of your pregnancy. While donating your baby’s cord blood can be free, you’ll have to pay a fee to privately store it.

Chemotherapy and radiation can damage the bone marrow, where blood cells are made. If you need one or both of these treatments for a condition but your body makes healthy blood cells now, your doctor can collect them. They can then be carefully frozen and stored for when you’ll need them later.

Your doctor might advise an autologous stem cell transplant if you have a condition such as:

  • Multiple myeloma
  • Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  • Some autoimmune disorders
  • Germ cell tumor that doesn’t respond well to other treatments

An allogeneic stem cell donation, where you give or get stem cells from someone else, can treat:

  • Blood cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphocytic leukemia
  • Blood disorders, including severe aplastic anemia, thalassemia, and severe combined immune deficiency syndrome (SCID)

A stem cell donation may even cure some rare blood disorders that are passed down through families.

Every year, about 18,000 people in the U.S. could benefit from a stem cell donation. But only about 30% have a family member who is a good match for their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type.

HLAs are special proteins on the cells in your body. They help your immune system find and attack threats to your health. If someone else is going to give you their stem cells, it’s crucial that you share HLA markers with them. That way, your body is more likely to accept, not fight, these important new cells once they enter your bloodstream.

There are several types of matches, including:

Full match. A full match means that you and your donor share all the same HLA markers. Since you get half your HLA markers from your father and half from your mother, you have a 25% chance of getting a full match with a sibling. Sometimes, you can also be a full match with someone who’s not related to you but shares your ethnicity.

Partial match. A partial match is when you and your donor share most, but not all, of the same HLA markers.

Haploidentical match. A haploidentical match means that you and your donor share half of the same HLA markers (usually when the donor is your mom, dad, or child). This is often the most common match.

To find out your HLA type, a sample of your blood can be taken or the inside of your cheek can be swabbed. Then, it’s sent to a lab to be analyzed.

Registries keep a database of donors and banked umbilical cord blood. Doctors can search them to try to find a donor who matches a certain HLA type.

If you join a registry as a potential donor, you’ll be contacted if you’re a match for someone who needs your stem cells. Then, you’ll be asked to sign some consent forms. It’s okay to ask questions or share any concerns before you take the next steps.

Blood stem cell donation preparation

For several days before your procedure, you’ll get a shot of a medication that will help your bone marrow make more stem cells. These will then move into your bloodstream so they can be collected.

Blood stem cell donation procedure

“The majority of the time, stem cells are donated in a process that’s very similar to blood donation,” says Fingrut.

When it’s time to donate your stem cells, or what’s called “stem cell harvesting,” you’ll go to a medical center for a special procedure called apheresis.

A small needle that’s connected to a catheter, a very tiny tube, will be put into your vein. The blood that’s removed will be run through a special machine to take out the stem cells. Then, the remaining blood elements will be put back into your body through another vein.

This usually takes a few hours, but a member of the care team will check on you. You’ll be made comfortable while you wait. You’ll be able to watch a movie, read, or talk to a friend or family member. Aside from the prick of the needle, many people don’t find blood stem cell donation painful.

Depending on how many stem cells are needed, you may need to come back and repeat this process. Your doctor will let you know what to expect.

Bone marrow donation preparation 

About 10% of the time, stem cells can’t be taken from the blood. They need to be collected from your bone marrow. “That’s because stem cells from bone marrow have different properties than stem cells from blood,” Fingrut says.

Many more steps are involved to get you ready, including:

Tests. These are done to ensure that you’re in good health. Based on whether you’re donating bone marrow or getting a donation from someone else, your doctor may ask you to have:

  • Blood tests
  • Bone scan
  • Heart test (such as an EKG)
  • Imaging (such as a chest X-ray or CT scan)
  • Bone marrow biopsy (where a tiny sample is taken out and sent to a lab)

Chemotherapy or radiation. If you’re receiving donated bone marrow, you’ll go through a treatment to weaken your immune system. That way, your body is more likely to accept the healthy new stem cells.

Aside from all the physical preparation, this can be an emotional time, too.

“You might find it difficult to process the reality of what you’re about to go through, and it’s natural to feel overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the treatment’s outcome,” says Linda Mathew, DSW, MSW, LCSW-R, president of the Association of Oncology Social Work. 

Preparing emotionally isn’t just about “feeling strong” or “staying positive,” says Mathew. “It’s about accepting that it’s okay to have difficult emotions and seeking help when needed.”

Connecting with others who’ve gone through the stem cell donation process may help.

Bone marrow donation procedure

  • If you’re donating your bone marrow, you’ll have surgery.
  • First, you’ll be given general anesthesia. This will help you sleep through the procedure and not feel any pain.
  • Using a special needle, your doctor will remove about 1-2 pints of liquid bone marrow from your hip bone. This usually takes about an hour.
  • Afterward, your bone marrow will be sent to a lab. It will be processed for the person who will receive it.
  • You’ll be taken to a recovery room until you wake from the anesthesia. It’s common to feel very tired and weak afterward, so you’ll need someone to drive you home.

If you’re getting stem cells from a bone marrow donor, doctors may be able to put them into your vein through an IV. They’ll begin to make new cells in a few weeks. Until then, your immune system will be very weak. You’ll need to be prepared to stay in the hospital, under close monitoring.

Many side effects are due to how you’ll prepare for the stem cell donation. For instance, “the growth factor [medication] can cause flu-like symptoms,” says Fingrut. 

If you’re donating blood stem cells to yourself, chemotherapy or radiation can also cause short-term issues.

Side effects you might have include:

  • Infections
  • Bone pain
  • Muscle aches
  • Loss of appetite
  • Change in how foods taste
  • Mild fever
  • Headache
  • Diarrhea
  • Hair loss
  • Mouth sores
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Bleeding issues

During the procedure, you might feel lightheaded and have:

  • Discomfort in your arm
  • Sweating
  • A drop in your blood pressure

If you’re donating bone marrow, you might have:

  • A sore throat
  • Nausea
  • Weakness
  • Back or hip pain
  • Muscle pain
  • Bruising 
  • Pain where the needle went in (injection site)
  • Bleeding

Some of these side effects are because of the anesthesia you’ll have. They should go away after the procedure. 

Any pain in your hips “is comparable to having fallen on ice,” says Fingrut. “It may last for maybe a week or two, and then it goes away.”

If you have any symptoms after stem cell donation that surprise or concern you, let your doctor know right away.

If you’ll be having chemotherapy or radiation therapy, you may have side effects from both the treatments and your transplant. You could have:

  • Tiredness, even after resting
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Hair loss
  • Mouth sores
  • Loss of appetite

As with any surgery, your chance of side effects from your stem cell transplant depends on your health, age, and the type of transplant you have. Among them are:

  • Infection
  • Stem cell failure
  • Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD), in which blood vessels in your liver get blocked
  • Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), out-of-control growth of your lymph tissue
  • Graft versus host disease (GvHD), when your immune system attacks the healthy cells in your body or the stem cells you get from a donor

What are the long-term side effects of stem cell transplants?

Some side effects may happen over time, either a few weeks after the transplant or even years later. These can include:

  • Osteoporosis (thinning of the bones)
  • Early menopause
  • Cataracts
  • Fertility issues (trouble getting or staying pregnant)
  • Organ damage
  • Hormonal changes
  • Lung issues (such as pneumonitis, a severe swelling of your lungs)
  • Cancer

“While some patients have a suitable donor in their family, the majority do not,” says Fingrut. “These patients rely on unrelated donors to save their lives.”

To be a stem cell donor, you’ll need to be:

  • Between 18 and 40 years old
  • In good health (you’ll have an online screening and physical exam)
  • Within a healthy body mass index (BMI) range

“We need people from all backgrounds because there’s disparity in access to donors,” says Fingrut. “People are more likely to find a match from within their own ethnicity, and any group that’s not of European descent has more difficulty finding a match.” 

Donations are most needed from people who are:

  • Black or African American
  • American Indian or Alaska Native
  • Asian
  • Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
  • Hispanic or Latino

You won’t be able to donate bone marrow if you don’t meet the age requirement or have a certain health condition, such as: 

  • HIV/AIDS
  • Autoimmune disorders, such as lupus or psoriasis
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Some types of cancer
  • Celiac disease
  • Diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • Kidney disease
  • Lyme disease
  • Hepatitis B or C
  • High blood pressure, if not managed well
  • History of hip surgery, such as hip fracture or hip replacement
  • Bleeding disorders
  • Brain bleeding or injury
  • Ulcerative colitis

If you have an ongoing health condition and aren’t sure if you can donate your stem cells, talk to your doctor.

To donate your stem cells, reach out to a registry, such as NMDP.

You’ll be asked questions about your health and health history, as well as your ethnicity.

You may be sent an at-home kit that allows you to swab the inside of your cheek. After you mail it back, your cheek cells will be tested at a lab to learn your HLA type.

Then, you’ll be added to the registry and contacted if someone needs your stem cells. That could happen quickly or take years.

“Many countries in the world have a stem cell registry, and it’s a global network. So, if you sign up in one country, you’re part of the global network. You could be asked to donate stem cells from anywhere in the world,” Fingrut says.

Many rules restrict when and how a stem cell donor and recipient can learn about each other. But sometimes, you can connect. For instance, Fingrut founded Stem Cell Club, a donor recruitment group in Canada, which has recruited almost 30,000 donors since 2011.

 “We have examples of donors and recipients who became part of each other’s lives. Some have described their relationships as not quite family, but a different kind of family…a connection to each other that’s really special.”

If you donate stem cells to someone else, you may have to pay for the initial HLA test. This can cost about $75 to $100. The person getting your stem cells or their health insurance will pay for the actual procedure.

If you have to travel to make the donation, registries such as NMDP will cover travel, meal, and hotel expenses for you and one person traveling with you.

Some serious health issues, such as blood cancers, can be treated with healthy stem cells. If you’re healthy and under the age of 40, you can choose to become a stem cell donor. Most of the time, the process is a lot like donating blood. The side effects are usually short-term, and the recovery time is often quick. Contact a registry like NMDP to become a stem cell donor.

Can people of any sex donate stem cells?

Anyone who is considered healthy and meets certain medical criteria, including men and people assigned male at birth and women and people assigned female at birth, can donate stem cells. 

Is stem cell donation painful?

If you donate your bone marrow, you may have some pain in your hip for a few days. It can usually be well-managed and goes away in a few weeks.

How many times can you donate stem cells?

Your body is constantly making new bone marrow and stem cells, so you may be able to safely donate up to three times. But it’s important to discuss this with your doctor.

Is stem cell donation safe?

The main risk of being a donor may be having anesthesia, and not everyone needs to have surgery to remove their bone marrow.

If you’re getting stem cells from someone else, you face a risk of a serious complication, such as infection or graft versus host disease (GvHD). Before your procedure, your doctor will explain these risks to you and what you can do to avoid them.

What is stem cell therapy (regenerative medicine), and how does it work?

In the future, stem cell therapy may replace organ transplants. Here’s how scientists picture that working. Stem cells grown in a lab will be turned into different specialized cells, such as nerve cells or heart cells. Then, they’ll be put into a person's body to repair sick or damaged cells.

Regenerative medicine is an exciting new field. But a lot more research still needs to be done to understand how it can safely work and who it may help.

Have stem cells already been used to treat diseases?

Yes. Already, stem cells have been able to help people with conditions like testicular cancer, leukemia, aplastic or refractory anemia, osteoporosis, multiple myeloma, and a group of blood diseases called Myelodysplastic syndrome.