The impact of age and gravidity on CD34+ yields in female peripheral blood stem cell donors

Abstract

Donor age has long been recognized as negatively affecting CD34 + yield following Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) mobilization. However, its impact on male versus female donors has not been separately examined. In addition, the potential influence of pregnancy history on female donors remains underexplored. The retrospective study extracted donation data from 267 female donors with known pregnancy history, grouped by age and number of gravidities, and CD34 + yields post-PBSC mobilization were compared. The study revealed a decline in CD34 + yields with increasing donor age, but an elevation in yields among female donors aged 41–50, a pattern not seen with male donors. There was no difference in yields between nulligravida donors and those with 2 or 3 gravidities, and the latter cohort showed significantly higher yields than donors with 1 or 4 + gravidities. For donors in their 40 s, CD34 + yields were either higher than or similar to those of younger donors with the same number of gravidities, suggesting an additional effect of this age group on stem cell yields. Nevertheless, recipients’ engraftment outcomes were comparable among donors with varying numbers of gravidities and nulligravida donors. This study demonstrates that female donors aged 41–50 have CD34 + yields similar to male donors, and those with 2–3 previous pregnancies exhibit CD34 + yields comparable to those of nulligravida donors and significantly higher than those of other gravidity groups. These findings suggest that age and pregnancy history influence stem cell mobilisation, emphasizing the need for further research into their underlying biological mechanisms and clinical significance.