Is donating stem cells painful?

After stem cells are collected from your hip bone under general anaesthesia, you may feel pain around the collection area for a few days. The pain can be treated using normal painkillers. If the stem cells are collected from your bloodstream, you may experience flu-like symptoms such as muscle pain, headaches and bone aches as a result of the growth factor treatment preceding the collection. These can also usually be treated using normal painkillers. Stem cell donors typically describe these symptoms as moderate.