Pregnancy possible after organ transplant

Despite past concerns to the contrary, women who have had an organ transplant can become pregnant, and their chances of having a healthy baby are good, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center say. There has been concern that the drugs given to suppress the body's rejection of transplanted organs might increase the risk of premature birth, low birthweight or other complications. In the new study, the researchers studied 14 pregnancies in 12 liver-transplant recipients given the anti-rejection drug FK506. 7 of the 12 women delivered their babies vaginally, and more than half of the mothers were able to carry their babies to the full term. Of the 14 babies in the study, 12 are alive and well. 2 babies were born prematurely and died soon after birth. The rest were born without birth defects or evidence of infection--a concern because FK506 crosses the placenta and may suppress the baby's immune system. The mothers were advised against breast feeding, since FK506 is excreted in breast milk, and the effect of chronic exposure on babies is not known. In 1993, approximately 18,000 transplants were performed in the US and 3441 of them were liver transplants. About 46% of liver transplants recipients were women.