Anxieties and coping methods of liver transplant recipients regarding pregnancy and delivery

To clarify the anxieties experienced by liver transplant recipients and their methods of coping during pregnancy and delivery.

The recent increase in liver transplantation among adults and the growth in the number of paediatric (until reproductive age) liver transplant recipients have caused an increase in the number of pregnancies and deliveries among patients who have undergone liver transplantation.

A qualitative descriptive study.

Fourteen recipients experienced delivery after undergoing liver transplantation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews from June 2012 - May 2013. The descriptions obtained about the anxieties felt during pregnancy and the methods for coping were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Regarding anxieties during pregnancy, the two core categories, that is, 'influences on the child born to the liver transplant recipient' and 'the liver transplant recipient's body', and seven other categories were extracted. As for methods of coping, seven categories were extracted such as consulting a healthcare professional, family member or a recipient with a similar experience; accepting the necessity of immunosuppressive therapy; staying positive and avoiding negative thoughts; and practising good health habits.

Liver transplant recipients cope with anxieties about the effects of immunosuppressants on the child and worsening of their physical condition by consulting healthcare professionals and family members and by self-management to maintain their physical condition. Nurses should seek to understand the physical and psychosocial status of each recipient after liver transplantation and provide support to facilitate the physical and psychological stability of liver transplant recipients during pregnancy and delivery.