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I am going to have a spinal fusion and donate bone to myself for the operation. The bone will be taken from the pelvic bone. Does it matter which side they take it from?

It doesn't matter in terms of fusion results but it may make a difference in other ways. The doctor may prefer to use one side over the other depending on your position during the operation. If one side is harder to reach than the other then easy access makes the decision.

It may make a difference to you later. Sometimes patients have pain at the donor graft site. The pain can last months to years. If you tend to sleep on one side more than the other, then you may want to choose the side you don't sleep on for the graft site. Lying
on a painful hip can make sleeping even more difficult.

Reference: 

Rick C. Sasso, MD, et al. Iliac Crest Bone Graft Donor Site Pain after Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion. In Journal of Spinal Disorders. February 2005. Vol. 18. Supplement 1. Pp. S77-S81.


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