Guide To Making A Bone Marrow Donation

What Recovery Looks Like

Every patient's recovery will look slightly different depending on overall health at the time of donation and the particular donation method used. Generally, patients recovering from a peripheral blood stem cell collection donation can expect to return to work, school, and daily activities within one to seven days after donation. Individuals who have donated via a bone marrow harvest have a median recovery period of twenty days, and seventy percent of these patients fully recover within thirty days of the procedure. Ninety-seven percent of bone marrow harvest donors are fully recovered within 180 days. During the recovery period, patients are followed closely by the team that carried out the donation and the team at the national donor registry. Donors should let their team know about any pain or issues with returning to regular activities.