Bone marrow infusion can improve the prognosis for serious medical conditions. Donating bone marrow involves registering in a donor registry, being tested for compatibility, and undergoing a needle aspiration or apheresis. Donors can choose to remain in the registry or opt out after a single donation.
The prognosis for several serious medical conditions can be greatly improved with a bone marrow infusion. Bone marrow is a soft tissue found in the core of many bones in the body. This tissue contains stem cells that are capable of differentiating into an assortment of blood cells. By infusing these stem cells into patients with diseases such as leukemia, neuroblastoma and myeloma, doctors can help treat their conditions.
Bone marrow is in great demand, especially from minority donors. If you are interested in donating bone marrow, there are a few steps you need to take. You may also want to know your options and what to expect when you give bone marrow. By making the decision to donate bone marrow, you are making a difference in someone else’s life; in fact, you may even save someone’s life.
Stem cells in bone marrow have a short life span. This means your marrow is only harvested when it’s needed. If you want to donate bone marrow, start by registering in a donor registry. Many countries have national registries and you can find yours by searching for “bone marrow registry” and your region on the internet or by asking your doctor.
During the registration process, your name and contact information will be recorded and a blood sample will be taken. Your blood is typed so that when someone contacts the registry to request bone marrow, your type will appear if you’re a match. You will also be interviewed to ensure you are a good candidate for the donation. You will be kept in the registry until you notify them that you no longer wish to donate bone marrow, or until you pass a certain age, typically 50, although this varies by registry.
If your marrow is needed, you will be contacted and tested to ensure you are compatible. If you are, the bone marrow donation process can begin. There are two ways to give bone marrow. The traditional way involves giving anesthesia and inserting hollow needles into your hips to extract bone marrow, in a process called needle aspiration. This can leave your hips aching for a while, but most people recover within a week.
A process called apheresis can also be used to extract bone marrow. Apheresis is less invasive and painful and involves filtering the blood to extract useful stem cells. If you choose apheresis as your donation method, you will be given drugs to promote a profusion of stem cells in your blood. These drugs can cause bone pain, fatigue, headaches, and body aches, but these symptoms will stop when you give the bone marrow and stop the drug regimen.
After the bone marrow is given, the stem cells will be infused into a patient in need. You can choose to remain in the bone marrow registry, in which case you will not be asked to donate for a minimum of several months, or you can opt out after your single donation if you wish. You shouldn’t register to donate bone marrow if you think you won’t be able to donate when the time comes, or if you have a chronic disease.
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