Kidney donation is possible because people can live with one kidney. After one kidney is removed, the remaining one increases in size. Having one kidney does not change life expectancy and has not been linked to an increased risk of kidney failure. However, if you're considering donating a kidney, it's important to discuss the risks with a specialist.
Deceased donations
You can choose to donate your organs and tissues after death. In this case, you won't get to choose the transplant recipient. To do so, you'll need to register on the Australian Organ Donor Register through Medicare, even if you've already ticked 'yes' to organ donation on your driver's licence.
It's important to also discuss this decision with your family, so that they know your wishes after you pass away.
Live donations
In Australia, you can also donate a kidney while you're alive, as long as you're over the age of 18 and meet the criteria for a donor. You can choose to donate to:
- someone you know, to whom you're related genetically (such as a parent, sister, or brother), or emotionally (including a spouse or close friend)
- the next suitable recipient on the transplant waiting list. Contact the Kidney Transplant Coordinator in your closest transplant hospital for more information.
Paired donations
Another form of living donation is referred to as a 'paired exchange'.
This is when there are potential kidney donor/recipient pairs whose blood types are incompatible. The two recipients trade donors so that each recipient can receive a kidney with a compatible blood type.
People willing to join the Australian Paired Kidney Exchanges program (AKX) should discuss this with their kidney specialist.
