{"id":3002,"date":"2026-09-15T14:08:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T14:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/?p=3002"},"modified":"2026-09-15T14:11:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T14:11:44","slug":"living-liver-donor-risks-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/living-liver-donor-risks-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Liver Donor: Real Risks, Recovery and Your Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"3002\" class=\"elementor elementor-3002\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2593808 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2593808\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1748116 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"1748116\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"bh\">\n\n<section class=\"hero\">\n  <div class=\"in\">\n    <p class=\"eyebrow\">Liver transplantation \u00b7 For the donor<\/p>\n    <h1>If I give part of my liver, what happens to me?<\/h1>\n    <p class=\"lead\">This is the question every living donor deserves a straight answer to \u2014\n       with numbers, not reassurance. Here is what international data shows, how the liver\n       recovers, and the protections Turkish law gives you.<\/p>\n    <p class=\"meta\">Based on international guidelines, a worldwide donor survey and Turkish\n       legislation<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"wrap\">\n\n  <div class=\"ozet\">\n    <h2>The short answer<\/h2>\n    <ul>\n      <li>In a worldwide survey of <b>11,553 living liver donors<\/b>, the risk of death was\n          <b>0.2%<\/b> \u2014 about 1 in 500. That is higher than for kidney donation, and you are\n          entitled to know it.<\/li>\n      <li>You always keep <b>at least 30%<\/b> of your liver.<\/li>\n      <li>The liver regrows: by <b>three months<\/b>, the remaining liver reaches on average\n          <b>80%<\/b> of its original volume.<\/li>\n      <li>For most donors, quality of life is back to the level of the general population by\n          <b>six months<\/b>.<\/li>\n      <li>In Turkey, every living donor centre must have an <b>independent living donor rights\n          advocate<\/b> whose only job is to protect you.<\/li>\n    <\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <h2>The centre's first duty is to you<\/h2>\n\n  <p>The patient is already ill. You are healthy. The international guideline on living liver\n     donation sets out three things the evaluation must establish before anyone operates:<\/p>\n\n  <ol>\n    <li>That a large enough part of your liver can be removed <b>safely for you<\/b>.<\/li>\n    <li>That there is <b>no risk of passing a disease<\/b> to the recipient.<\/li>\n    <li>That you <b>understand the process<\/b> and would be able to cope with its\n        psychological consequences.<\/li>\n  <\/ol>\n\n  <p>If any one of these is not met, the answer should be no \u2014 however much the family wants\n     the transplant to happen.<\/p>\n\n  <h2>How much liver is taken<\/h2>\n\n  <p>The liver has a larger right side and a smaller left side. An adult recipient usually\n     needs the right side, because the transplanted part must be big enough: generally\n     <b>more than 40%<\/b> of the recipient's expected liver volume, or <b>more than 0.8%<\/b>\n     of their body weight.<\/p>\n\n  <p>But the donor must keep enough to live on safely. Guidelines require that the part left\n     behind is <b>at least 30%<\/b> of the donor's original liver. For donor safety, centres\n     use the smaller left side <b>whenever it is large enough<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"box\">\n    <span class=\"etiket\">Why some willing donors are told no<\/span>\n    <p>If giving the recipient enough liver would leave you with too little, you are not a\n      suitable donor \u2014 even if you are healthy and fully compatible. This is not a failure. It\n      is the rule working as it should.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <h2>The risk, stated plainly<\/h2>\n\n  <p>The largest study of living liver donor safety surveyed transplant programmes in 21\n     countries, covering <b>11,553<\/b> donor operations:<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"tblwrap\">\n    <table>\n      <thead>\n        <tr><th>Outcome<\/th><th>Rate<\/th><\/tr>\n      <\/thead>\n      <tbody>\n        <tr><td><b>Donor death<\/b> (most within 60 days)<\/td><td><b>0.2%<\/b> \u2014 23 of 11,553<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><td>Potentially life-threatening \"near-miss\" event<\/td><td>1.1%<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><td>Operation stopped part-way and the donation abandoned<\/td><td>1.2%<\/td><\/tr>\n      <\/tbody>\n    <\/table>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>Giving part of a liver is a bigger operation than giving a kidney, and the risk is\n     higher. Any centre that tells you the risk is zero is not being honest with you.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"soru\">\n    <h3>Does the team's experience change the risk?<\/h3>\n\n    <p>The donor death rate was similar across programmes. But <b>near-miss events and\n       abandoned operations were more common in programmes that had performed 50 or fewer<\/b>\n       living donor transplants.<\/p>\n\n    <p>In Turkey, the legal minimum for a liver transplant centre is <b>5 transplants a\n       year<\/b>. That is a floor, not a standard. Ask the centre directly how many living donor\n       liver transplants it performs each year.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <h2>After donation: the long term<\/h2>\n\n  <p>A 2025 review of long-term follow-up studies reported these problems among living liver\n     donors. The ranges are wide because the studies measured them differently:<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"tblwrap\">\n    <table>\n      <thead>\n        <tr><th>Long-term problem<\/th><th>Reported in<\/th><\/tr>\n      <\/thead>\n      <tbody>\n        <tr><td>Discomfort at the incision site<\/td><td>13.2% \u2013 38.8%<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><td>Narrowing of the bile ducts<\/td><td>1% \u2013 14%<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><td>Hernia at the incision<\/td><td>0.6% \u2013 8.4%<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><td>Psychiatric problems (such as depression or anxiety)<\/td><td>1% \u2013 22%<\/td><\/tr>\n      <\/tbody>\n    <\/table>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>The more encouraging finding: <b>six months after donation, most donors' quality of life\n     matched that of the general population<\/b>. It stayed lower mainly in two groups \u2014 donors\n     whose recipient died, and donors who came to regret the decision. That is why\n     psychological preparation before donation, and support afterwards, matter as much as the\n     surgery.<\/p>\n\n  <h2>The liver grows back<\/h2>\n\n  <p>Unlike a kidney, the part of the liver that stays behind <b>regrows<\/b>. In a large North\n     American study of 350 donors, the remaining liver had reached on average <b>80% of its\n     original volume within three months<\/b>. The part given to the recipient grew too \u2014 to\n     93% of the expected size.<\/p>\n\n  <p>Your transplant team will give you a personal timeline for hospital stay, returning to\n     work and returning to exercise. <b>Ask for it before you decide<\/b>, not after.<\/p>\n\n  <h2>Your rights as a donor in Turkey<\/h2>\n\n  <div class=\"tblwrap\">\n    <table>\n      <thead>\n        <tr><th>Protection<\/th><th>Legal basis<\/th><\/tr>\n      <\/thead>\n      <tbody>\n        <tr><td>No one may take or sell an organ for money or any other benefit<\/td><td>Law 2238, Article 3<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><td>The donor must be an adult able to make their own decision<\/td><td>Law 2238, Article 5<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><td>Consent in writing, before two witnesses, confirmed by a doctor<\/td><td>Law 2238, Article 6<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><td>If the donor is married, their spouse must confirm in writing that they know about the decision<\/td><td>Regulation, Article 12<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><td>Donors who are not a spouse or close relative need ethics committee approval \u2014 and its decisions can be appealed within 15 days<\/td><td>Regulation, Articles 12 and 15<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><td><b>An independent living donor rights advocate at every living donor centre<\/b><\/td><td>Regulation, Article 16<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><td>The centre must inform donors about their follow-up check-ups<\/td><td>Regulation, Article 34<\/td><\/tr>\n      <\/tbody>\n    <\/table>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"box\">\n    <span class=\"etiket\">The living donor rights advocate<\/span>\n    <p>Every centre in Turkey that performs living donor transplants must appoint a person\n      whose role is to <b>protect and defend the donor's medical and ethical rights<\/b>. This\n      person is a psychiatrist, psychologist, certified transplant coordinator or social\n      worker, <b>works independently, and answers to the Ministry of Health<\/b> \u2014 not to the\n      transplant team.<\/p>\n    <p>If you feel pressured by anyone \u2014 family, the recipient, or the hospital \u2014 this is the\n      person to tell.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"box efsane\">\n    <span class=\"etiket\">The myth<\/span>\n    <p><b>\"If you give part of your liver, you live with half a liver for the rest of your\n      life.\"<\/b><\/p>\n    <p>The liver regrows. Within three months, the remaining part is on average back to\n      around 80% of its original size.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>If you are the patient's relative and wondering whether you would be allowed to donate\n     at all, see <a href=\"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/turkiy\u0259d\u0259-qaraciy\u0259r-transplantasiyasi\/\">who can legally be a donor in\n     Turkey<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"yazar\">\n    <div class=\"rozet\">MT<\/div>\n    <div>\n      <h3>Medically reviewed by <a href=\"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/murat-tuncer-md\/\" style=\"color:inherit\">Prof. Dr. Murat Tuncer<\/a><\/h3>\n      <p>Nephrologist and transplant physician. This guide was prepared by the BookingHospital medical\n        team from international liver transplantation guidelines, published studies and\n        Turkish legislation.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"cta\">\n    <h2>Thinking about donating? Ask before you decide<\/h2>\n    <p>Send us your own test results \u2014 not the patient's. We will tell you honestly whether you\n       are likely to be a suitable donor, including when the answer is no.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"btns\">\n      <a class=\"btn btn-1\" href=\"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/tibbi-turizm\/\">Send your medical reports<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"uyari\">\n    <p><b>Medical and legal disclaimer.<\/b> This article is general information based on\n      published guidelines, studies and Turkish legislation as of September 2026. It is not\n      personal medical or legal advice, it does not establish a doctor\u2013patient relationship,\n      and it cannot replace assessment by a transplant team. Donor suitability is decided\n      after detailed medical, surgical and psychological evaluation.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"kaynak\">\n    <h3>References<\/h3>\n    <ol>\n      <li>Miller CM, Durand F, Heimbach JK, et al. The International Liver Transplant Society\n        Guideline on Living Liver Donation. <i>Transplantation<\/i> 2016;100(6):1238\u20131243.<\/li>\n      <li>Miller CM, Quintini C, Dhawan A, et al. The International Liver Transplantation\n        Society Living Donor Liver Transplant Recipient Guideline. <i>Transplantation<\/i>\n        2017;101(5):938\u2013944.<\/li>\n      <li>European Association for the Study of the Liver. EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines on\n        liver transplantation. <i>J Hepatol<\/i> 2024;81(6):1040\u20131086.<\/li>\n      <li>Cheah YL, Simpson MA, Pomposelli JJ, Pomfret EA. Incidence of death and potentially\n        life-threatening near-miss events in living donor hepatic lobectomy: a world-wide\n        survey. <i>Liver Transpl<\/i> 2013;19(5):499\u2013506.<\/li>\n      <li>Olthoff KM, Emond JC, et al. Liver regeneration after living donor transplantation:\n        adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation cohort study. <i>Liver Transpl<\/i>\n        2015;21(1):79\u201388.<\/li>\n      <li>De Carlis R, Di Lucca G, Lauterio A, Centonze L, De Carlis L. The long-term follow-up\n        of the living liver donors. <i>Updates Surg<\/i> 2025;77(6):1767\u20131775.<\/li>\n      <li>Republic of T\u00fcrkiye. Law No. 2238 on the Removal, Storage, Grafting and\n        Transplantation of Organs and Tissues.<\/li>\n      <li>Republic of T\u00fcrkiye, Ministry of Health. Organ Transplantation Services Regulation.\n        Official Gazette No. 32038, 9 December 2022 (as amended).<\/li>\n    <\/ol>\n  <\/div>\n\n<\/section>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Liver transplantation \u00b7 For the donor If I give part of my liver, what happens to me? This is the question every living donor deserves a straight answer to \u2014 with numbers, not reassurance. Here is what international data shows, how the liver recovers, and the protections Turkish law gives you. Based on international guidelines, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-liver-transplant-guide"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3002"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3007,"href":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3002\/revisions\/3007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookinghospital.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}