Registering to be an organ donor can be frightening especially when you do not have all the information. In the United States, around 20 patients die each day due to a lack of organ donors, according to estimates.*

While many organs must be donated after your death, donating one of your two kidneys can be done while you’re alive and healthy. Whether you are looking for a donor or interested in becoming a donor, educate yourself on the facts of common kidney donation myths.*

Myth: If I agree to donate my organs, the hospital staff may not try to save me or declare that I’m dead when I’m really not.

Fact:  When you go to the hospital for care, health care providers put their focus on saving your life—not other’s lives. Additionally, people who have agreed to organ donation undergo more tests (free for their families) to determine that they’ve truly passed than those who haven’t agreed to donate organs.

 Myth: If I donate a kidney, my quality of life and life span will decline. 

Fact: A kidney donation will not affect quality of life or life span. After a couple of weeks of recovery, most kidney donors find their lives are back to how it was before the surgery. In fact, the life span of kidney donors is higher than the general population as you must be healthy to meet the criteria to donate. 

Myth: Living donors are more likely to get kidney disease after donating. 

Fact: This answer varies with each donor and to who the donor is being compared. Living donors are slightly more likely than healthy non-donors to get kidney disease. On the other hand, living kidney donors are still less likely to get kidney disease when compared to the general population. 

Myth: There is a cutoff age for becoming a kidney donor.

Fact: There is not a cutoff age for donating organs. Through workups with a doctor and a transplant medical team, they will determine if you meet the medical criteria to donate. 

Myth: Living kidney donation harms the donor’s sex life. 

Fact: Donors can return to their normal sexual life as soon as they feel better and ready after surgery. This typically happens a couple of weeks after surgery. 

Myth: I’d like to donate one of my kidneys now, but I can’t do so unless one of my family members is in need. 

Fact: While this myth used to be true, it is no longer the case now. Whether it’s a distant family member, friend, or a stranger, you can donate a kidney through certain transplant centers. 

Myth: Rich and famous people receive priority when they need a donor organ. 

Fact: No one is given priority when it comes to allocating organs. While it may appear that way due to the amount of publicity they receive, transplant centers treat them no differently than anyone else. 

Myth: People with tattoos should not donate a kidney. 

Fact: Tattoo ink does not affect the kidney. Therefore, people with tattoos can still donate. Due to the risk of infection from receiving a tattoo, potential donors should hold off on getting tattoos until after the surgery. 

Where can I learn more about organ donation? 

Learn more about how to register to be a donor and the process of donating a kidney at Donate Life. 

Additional information on kidney donation myths can be found in “Myths and Facts About Living Kidney Donation” on Informate.org’s website. 

*Organ donation: Don’t let myths confuse. (2021, April 16). Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/featured-topic/organ-donation-dont-let-these-myths-confuse-you