Liver donation: Procedure, safety, and long-term impact Health ConditionsHealth ConditionsAlzheimer's & DementiaAnxietyArthritisAsthma & AllergiesBreast CancerCancerCardiovascular HealthCOVID-19Dermatology & SkincareDiabetesEnvironment & SustainabilityExercise & FitnessEye HealthHeadache & MigraineHealth EquityHIV & AIDSHuman BiologyInflammatory Bowel DiseaseLeukemiaLGBTQIA+Men's HealthMental HealthMultiple Sclerosis (MS)NutritionParkinson's DiseasePsoriasisSexual HealthWomen's HealthDiscoverNewsLatest NewsOriginal SeriesMedical MythsHonest NutritionThrough My EyesNew Normal HealthPodcastsHow to understand chronic painWhat is behind vaccine hesitancy?The amazing story of hepatitis C, from discovery to cureNew directions in dementia researchCan psychedelics rewire a depressed, anxious brain?Why climate change matters for human healthToolsGeneral HealthDrugs A-ZHealth HubsHealth ToolsBMI Calculators and ChartsBlood Pressure Chart: Ranges and GuideBreast Cancer: Self-Examination GuideSleep CalculatorHealth ProductsAffordable Therapy OptionsBlood Pressure MonitorsDiabetic SuppliesFitness TrackersHome GymsGreen Cleaning ProductsHow to Shop for CBDQuizzesRA Myths vs FactsType 2 Diabetes: Managing Blood SugarAnkylosing Spondylitis Pain: Fact or FictionConnectAbout Medical News TodayWho We AreOur Editorial ProcessContent IntegrityConscious LanguageNewslettersSign UpFollow UsMedical News TodayHealth ConditionsDiscoverToolsConnectSubscribe What to know about liver donationMedically reviewed by Youssef (Joe) Soliman, MD — By Sarah Charmley on September 27, 2022Liver donation is a surgical treatment option for a damaged liver that cannot repair itself. This procedure has certain criteria a person must meet before considering donating or receiving a transplant. Share on PinterestTransplant centers match a donor’s liver to someone at the top of the transplantation list. Most liver donations come from deceased donors. Living individuals may donate part of their liver to a close relative, enabling them to live a typical life with a functioning liver. This article examines how someone can donate their liver and whether the procedure is safe for living donors. We also look at the process, recovery, and potential long-term impact of a liver donation. How can people donate their liver The most common way for a person to donate their liver is after they die. If someone wants their organs to help others after their death, they can sign up for organ donation in their state. A person must tell their loved ones about their wishes so they can organize the donation after their passing. Some people worry that they may receive different medical treatment if they decide to donate their organs. However, someone in an accident or near death receives treatment from a different medical team than the team that would remove organs after death. A person may donate some organs to a family member or close friend while alive. Some people may also donate to a person they do not know. A person can donate the following organs while alive:a single kidneya lobe of the livera lung or part of a lungpart of the pancreaspart of the intestines Learn more about liver transplant surgery. Is partial liver donation safe Partial liver donation is major surgery and carries the usual risks of major surgery. However, a healthcare team will screen and assess any potential living donor and recipient to ensure that both people have the best chance of living a typical life after the procedure. People may experience minor complications after surgery, and there is an emotional impact to consider if the donated liver fails. It is also possible that the donor’s remaining liver may fail. Research is ongoing into whether a person’s life may be shorter due to living organ donation. Maintaining healthy lifestyle changes after liver donation ensures that the donor’s remaining liver has the best chance to regenerate. Doctors recommend that people avoid becoming pregnant for 12 months after liver donation. Learn more about the liver transplant survival rate. Eligibility Organ donation is the choice of the person donating. No one should force another person to undergo organ donation. Live donors must be at least 18 years old — older at some transplant centers — and must have:good mental and physical healtha body mass index of less than 35blood type compatibility with the person receiving the liverno disease, including:organ diseasecancerhepatitisactive substance misuse disorderchronic or current infectionsa support system to help with the demands of surgery and aftercare Learn more about the criteria for live donor liver transplants. Procedure To become a living donor, a person can contact a local transplant center. A doctor will screen a person to ensure they are in good health and ask about recent diagnostic tests and lab work. They will also take a medical history and perform a physical examination. A female will have a pap smear and mammogram if over age 40. A person over age 50 will have a colonoscopy. A healthcare professional will review the tests and lab work information. The potential recipient will not have access to this information. The potential donor will undergo evaluation and may have a family member alongside them during this process. They will meet with the transplant team and may undergo further diagnostic testing. Doctors will check the health of a person’s heart, lungs, and abdomen with X-rays and scans. A person will also meet with a living donation healthcare team member. A person may also meet with:an advocate for living donorsa psychologista liver specialista surgeon This evaluation can take multiple days, and doctors may require a person to undergo more tests after the results of earlier tests return. An older study from 2013 examined why a team may decide that a potential donor is unsuitable for donation. The reasons included:donor reluctancea diagnosis of non-alcohol-related fatty liver diseaseassisted medical withdrawal of a donor The transplant team will meet to decide whether surgery can take place and to check whether the donor is fit for surgery. Healthcare professionals usually schedule surgery 4–6 weeks ahead to ensure that a person can organize their work and family schedules. Surgery can take 12 hours or longer. The living donor and the recipient have surgery at the same time. Donor evaluation is a detailed and rigorous process. Healthcare professionals may identify factors that can exclude a potential donor at any point. The potential donor may also change their mind at any time. Recovery A living donor can expect to be in the hospital for around one week after surgery. Recovery is quicker for the donor than for the recipient. Living donors often return to daily activities a month after surgery and return to work after 4–6 weeks. A 2021 review evaluating the quality of life for living donors suggests that they experience positive long-term outcomes for both physical and mental quality of life after surgery. The first three months may prove difficult. However, by six months, their health may improve. Physical symptoms after surgery may include:irritation or lack of sensation in the surgical scarpain in the abdomenirregular bowel habitsheartburnnauseadecreased stomach tonepainfatigue Living donors may experience a temporary decline in their mental health or a negative effect on sexual function and body image. This could be due to the stress of evaluation for donation. Research indicates that donors often feel that donating affects their employment and health insurance and is more expensive than expected. However, very few donors regret their decision to donate, and most say they would go through the experience again if necessary. Long-term impact on the donor After surgery, a donor may live a long and healthy life. However, they will not have protection from other medical problems that they would have experienced in any case. In a 2015 study, after six years, most living donors reported that their health was better or the same as before surgery. People were particularly happy with the process if they experienced increased vitality and decreased pain and if the recipient survived the procedure. Can people get paid for liver donation It is illegal for a person to receive money for donating an organ in the United States. The recipient’s private health insurance or Medicare will generally cover some of a living donor’s costs, such as the cost of:an evaluation of suitability for organ donationdonation surgerycare after surgery Read more about Medicare. Insurance typically does not cover the following costs:Time off work for recovery: Some people may use:sick leavestate disabilityFamily and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)-mandated leaveTreatment for other conditions: While evaluating a potential donor, healthcare professionals may discover other conditions that are not associated with liver donation and require treatment.Non-medical expenses: Insurance does not cover the cost of travel to appointments or evaluation, lodging, or child care during recovery. Some transplant hospitals may have free or low cost hospitality services that they can offer to donors.Follow-up expenses: Insurance may not cover costs associated with follow-up appointments after surgery. A person can speak with the transplant center about the help available. Some nonprofit organizations may offer help with expenses for living organ donors, including specialized life insurance. Learn more about the cost of liver transplants. Summary Living organ donation can help improve the health of a person who requires a liver transplant. However, it carries the risks of major surgery. A person considering donating part of their liver should factor in the short-term impact on their ability to work during recovery, the costs, and the availability of child care if needed. Many people who have donated part of their liver do not regret the process and would do it again. This is particularly true if the recipient’s quality of life improves after surgery. Some nonprofit organizations and transplant centers may offer some help to living donors. A person should research the subject thoroughly and consider the potential impact on their life before deciding to become a living donor. Last medically reviewed on September 27, 2022Health Insurance / Medical InsuranceLiver Disease / HepatitisTransplants / Organ Donationsliver cancerMedically reviewed by Youssef (Joe) Soliman, MD — By Sarah Charmley on September 27, 2022 Latest newsWhat sets 'SuperAgers' apart? Their unusually large neuronsOmega-3 may provide a brain boost for people in midlifeSeasonal affective disorder (SAD): How to beat it this fall and winterCDC: Monkeypox in the US 'unlikely to be eliminated in the near future'Why are more women prone to Alzheimer's? New clues arise Popular in Transplants Organ DonationsHow organ transplants work Related CoverageWhat are the criteria for live donor liver transplants?Medically reviewed by Angelica Balingit, MD Live donor liver transplants are an alternative to a long waiting list and limited availability of donated livers. Read on for the criteria and more…READ MOREHow much does a liver transplant cost? A liver transplant can be expensive. 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