Introduction Although living kidney donation is not a high-risk surgery, there is still a need to identify situations at risk of kidney disease after uninephrectomy. Estrogens exhibit a protective role against various nephropathies. The aim of this study was to assess renal adaptation following nephrectomy according to menopausal status in women. Methods A prospective bicentric study including living women donors measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (inulin or 51− Cr-EDTA clearances) and kidney volume (using CT-scan and 3-dimensional reconstruction), before and after 1-year post-uninephrectomy. Renal adaptation was compared according to menopausal status. Results Sixteen non-menopausal women and 18 menopausal women were included. One year following uninephrectomy, the mean decrease in GFR (global population) was − 32 ± 12 ml/min/1.73 m 2 , and the mean increase in remnant kidney volume was + 32 ± 13 cm 3 /1.73 m 2 . No significant difference was observed between the two groups for both the decrease in GFR (-32.9 ± 13.3 in non-menopausal vs − 31.5 ± 9.9 in menopausal, ml/min/1.73 m 2 , p  = 0.84), and the increase in kidney volume (+ 36.1 ± 13.4 in non-menopausal vs + 28.1 ± 12.5 in menopausal, cm 3 /1.73 m 2 , p  = 0.09). Discussion Menopausal status did not influence kidney adaptation following uninephrectomy, and in this respect is not a potential limiting factor for living kidney donation. Graphic abstract