Pregnancy After Donor Nephrectomy1,2

Abstract

Potential female donors frequently ask whether unilateral nephrectomy will impair future childbearing capabilities. To address this question, we surveyed 220 women who underwent donor nephrectomy between 1985 and 1992. Of the 144 women who responded, 33 became pregnant after donation for a total of 45 pregnancies. Seventy-five percent of the pregnancies were carried to term without difficulty. Complications incurred during gestation included miscarriage (13.3%), preeclampsia (4.4%), gestational hypertension (4.4%), proteinuria (4.4%), and tubal pregnancy (2.2%). Four of the 45 pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) required preterm hospitalization, resulting in an overall morbidity of 8.8%. There were no pregnancy-related deaths, and no fetal abnormalities were reported. Problems with persistent hypertension, proteinuria, or changes in renal function were not noted. None of the above complications exceeded what has been noted for the general population. Infertility was a problem in 8.3% (3/36) of our respondents, compared with a worldwide incidence of 16.7%. Based on these results, we conclude that donor nephrectomy is not detrimental to the prenatal course or outcome of future pregnancies.

Pregnancy after Kidney Transplantation

“…Not only did this individual go on to become pregnant after the transplant operation, but so did her sister (103). Several small self-reporting surveys of women who became pregnant after donation indicated little cause for concern (104,105). A recent abstract presented at the 2006 meeting of the American Society of Nephrology brought out the possibility that donation may increase the risk for preeclampsia in postdonation pregnancies (106).…”

Health Status and Renal Function Evaluation of Kidney Vendors: A Report from Pakistan

“…Although donor nephrectomy is not detrimental to the prenatal course or outcome of pregnancy in donor with normal renal function (39), however, with a mean GFR of 68.5 ± 12.68 there is risk in the long term, since moderate renal insufficiency can lead to some deterioration of renal function during pregnancy (40).…”

Pregnancy and Birth After Kidney Donation: The Norwegian Experience

“…A majority of chronic kidney failure patients are men, and most kidney donors are females (10,12) (14)(15)(16) …”

“…It may be particularly relevant since it is conceivable that increase of blood pressure and loss of kidney function in donors may predispose for hypertensive pregnancy disorders and other complications. Available reports indicate that previous kidney donation is not detrimental to the course and outcome of future pregnancies (14)(15)(16). However, the reports are few and based on a low number of cases.…”