Nutrition, pregnancy, and transplantation

One benefit of transplantation, along with the restoration of health, is the opportunity for successful pregnancies. A growing number of pregnancies have been reported among all types of solid-organ recipients. There is an increasing need for practice guidelines that include nutrition information in order to assist practitioners caring for and counseling these high-risk patients. In the transplant community, guidelines for managing pregnancies in transplant recipients have been evolving but lack specific nutrition recommendations. As for all pregnancies, there is a need to optimize nutrition for the mother and her infant, with additional consideration given to the transplant recipient's graft. This article reviews outcomes of posttransplant pregnancies and management guidelines, with special emphasis on nutrition in this unique population.