July 8, 2026

Females are less likely to be referred for kidney transplantation

Kidney transplantation is often the best treatment option for people with kidney failure, but previous research has suggested that females are less likely than males to receive a transplant. In a recent study, researchers in Ontario, Canada, sought to better understand where along the transplantation process these inequities occur. 

For their study, researcher Kyla Naylor and colleagues analyzed data from nearly 18,000 patients with kidney failure and examined differences in access to four key steps toward kidney transplant based on sex assigned at birth.  

The four steps examined separately were: referral to a transplant centre for assessment; contact between a potential living donor and the transplant centre for evaluation; addition to the deceased donor waitlist; and finally, transplantation from a living or deceased donor. 

The researchers found that female patients were less likely than male patients to be referred for a kidney transplant. Overall, females had a 14 per cent lower referral rate than males. The gap in transplant referrals was even larger among older female patients. For example, females aged 65 to 75 were 27 per cent less likely to be referred. No significant differences between male and female patients were observed at other stages of the transplant process.  

While the study highlights inequities in the referral process, it cannot explain the underlying reasons for them. The authors discuss several possible factors, including unconscious bias among health-care providers and lower rates of self-advocacy among females. They emphasize that more research is needed to better understand why females are less likely to be referred for transplantation.