Bone marrow donation - Who can donate bone marrow?

If you would like to become a potential bone marrow donor, you must be:

18 to 49 years of age to join the British Bone Marrow Registry
16 to 30 years of age to join the Anthony Nolan Trust register
in good general health
over 7 stone 12 pounds (50kg) in weight
have a body mass index (BMI) lower than 40 – calculate your BMI

It is best to join the bone marrow register at a young age. The younger you are when you join, the more chance there is of your stem cells being most suitable for someone in need.

People unable to donate

Having certain medical conditions may mean you cannot donate bone marrow. These include:

HIV and AIDS
rheumatoid arthritis
hepatitis B and hepatitis C
heart disease
kidney disease
type 1 diabetes
cancer, including leukaemia now or in the past

If you become pregnant, you will be temporarily unable to donate until your baby is 12 months old. Although no problems have been reported, the safety of donating bone marrow during and shortly after pregnancy has not been fully established.

If you don't live in the UK you may not be eligible to join the register.