Management of pregnancy after major urinary reconstruction

Major reconstructions of the urinary tract are being performed with increasing frequency. However, published experience concerning pregnancy after urinary reconstruction is limited. Complications in women who have undergone such complex procedures may endanger them or their fetuses and can disrupt the reconstruction or impair renal function. To counsel better those patients who have undergone urinary reconstruction and who desire to bear children, and to develop an approach to the management of their pregnancies, we reviewed the available literature. We found that the incidence of complications was low during pregnancy after a genitourinary reconstruction; the majority of women had an uneventful pregnancy and vaginal delivery. Close observation of renal function and prophylaxis against urinary tract infection during pregnancy are recommended. Elective cesarean is advised for women who have had a reconstruction of the bladder neck or urethra or who have received an artificial urinary sphincter. Urologists and gynecologists must continue to report the outcome of pregnancy in their patients who have undergone reconstruction so that we may develop meaningful data about the incidence of complications.