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Kidney Transplant

Can You Live With One Kidney?

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Medically Reviewed by Transplant Services

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The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs found just below the rib cage. Most people are born with two — one on each side of the spine.

Among the body’s vital organs, your kidneys work to keep your blood stable, allowing your body to function properly.

Each day your kidneys filter about 120 to 150 quarts of blood into urine. They prevent the buildup of waste and extra fluid, and produce hormones that help your body:

  • Regulate blood pressure.
  • Produce red blood cells.
  • Build healthy and strong bones.

Can you live with one kidney?

It is possible to live a perfectly healthy life with only one working kidney.

Learn more about the kidney transplant program at UPMC Hamot

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Reasons for Having One Kidney

Again, most people are born with two working kidneys. But sometimes, just one kidney works. And some people are born with only one kidney.

The reasons for this may vary and can include:

  • Renal agenesis — a condition where someone is born with only one kidney.
  • Kidney dysplasia — a condition where someone is born with two kidneys but only one of them works.
  • Kidney removal — certain diseases may require the removal of one kidney.
  • Living-donor kidney transplant — you can donate one of your kidneys to a person who needs a kidney transplant.

Living-Donor Kidney Transplants

Because it is possible to live with only one kidney, you can donate one of your working kidneys to someone else.

There’s a growing kidney transplant waiting list, but a shortage of organs. Living-donor kidney transplants are a life-saving option for someone in need of a kidney transplant.

During a living-donor kidney transplant, doctors remove one of your healthy kidneys and transplant it into a person with a failing kidney. After you heal, you can go back to your normal daily routine and live a healthy life with one kidney.

RELATED: The Impact of One Organ Donor

Become a Living Kidney Donor

With more than 96,000 people waiting for a kidney transplant, living-donor kidney transplants save lives.

To be a living kidney donor you must:

  • Be between the ages of 18 and 75.
  • Be in good general health.
  • Be free from diseases that can damage the organs — such as diabetes, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or cancer.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on , and was last reviewed on .

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About Transplant Services

For more than four decades, UPMC Transplant Services has been a leader in organ transplantation. Our clinicians have performed more than 20,000 organ transplant procedures, making UPMC one of the foremost organ transplant centers in the world. We are home to some of the world’s foremost transplant experts and take on some of the most challenging cases. Through research, we have developed new therapies that provide our patients better outcomes — so organ recipients can enjoy better health with fewer restrictions. Above all, we are committed to providing compassionate, complete care that can change – and save – our patients’ lives. Visit our website to find a provider near you.