Pregnancy outcome in renal transplant recipients

To correlate pregnancy outcome with complications in pregnancy and transplantation-to-pregnancy interval in renal transplant recipients in Croatia.

Data on 23 pregnancies after prepregnancy stabilization of blood pressure and normalization of graft function were retrospectively analyzed.

The mean interval between transplantation and conception was 3.1 years. Primary renal disease was chronic glomerulonephritis in 7, chronic pyelonephritis in 7 and agenesis of right kidney and stenosis of left renal artery in 1 patient. There were 10 term and 5 preterm deliveries, 6 induced and 2 spontaneous abortions. The mean gestational age was 38.1 weeks and the mean newborn birthweight was 3015 g. The prematurity rate was 21.7%. Patients with arterial hypertension in pregnancy, elevated serum creatinine level and bacteriuria, as well as those with conception occurring less than 2 years after transplantation, had a higher rate of therapeutic and spontaneous abortions, preterm deliveries and low birth weight infants.

The interval between transplantation and conception, as well as allograft function during pregnancy, seem to be of great importance for successful obstetric outcome in renal transplant patients.