Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure, with issues like anesthesia risk and post-operative pain; indeed, some people experience prolonged bone pain after the procedure. Although donating peripheral blood doesn't require surgery, there are still potential risks-trials on rats have shown that after injection with leukocyte hyperplasia drugs, the occurrence of leukemia increases.
就捐贈過程而言，骨髓捐贈必須要開刀，有麻醉風險及術後疼痛問題，有些人還會留下骨頭酸痛的後遺症；捐周邊血雖然不需開刀，但仍有些潛在風險──在老鼠的動物實驗發現，打過白血球增生藥劑後，老鼠罹患白血病的機率增加。