Pregnancy in women with chronic renal disease: a 14-year study

Between 1975 and 1988 authors encountered 44 pregnancies in 26 women who had had chronic renal disease and unimpaired renal function before the conception. Complications during pregnancy and the outcome of pregnancy were studied. There were 5 spontaneous abortions between the 11th and 20th weeks of gestation, 1 therapeutic abortion, 3 still births at weeks 28, 32 and 33, 6 neonatal deaths at age of 26 to 35 weeks, 11 preterm newborns, 35 live births, 9 infants with intrauterine growth retardation including 4 preterm newborns and 1 fetal malformation and 2 cases with premature rupture of the fetal membranes. The pregnancies were complicated with anaemia in 23 cases, with urinary tract infection in 19, with hypertension in 16, with proteinuria in 12 and with edema in 11 cases. Increase in the serum creatinine value during pregnancy was found in 6 cases. These data indicate that the pregnancy in patients with chronic renal disease who had normal renal function before the planned conception, is accompanied with increased risk for both the mother and child.