Psychological Experiences of Pregnancy Following Transplantation: A Systematic Qualitative Review

Background and Objectives: To examine the psychological parameters among pregnant organ transplant recipients that are understudied compared to the physical health of women during post-transplantation pregnancy. Materials and Methods: Systematic review based on PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycInfo that were searched until 15 January 2025. Quality Assessment and meta-aggregation were applied to qualitative studies. Results: Out of 4361 screened unique studies, six are included. Most studies were retrospective and focused on liver, kidney, and heart transplants. Meta-aggregation identified four synthesized findings: "Perception of Pregnancy after Transplantation", "Concerns about Maternal Physical Health", "Concerns about Fetal Health", and "Emotional Burden by Expectant Mothers and Coping Strategies". The review was constrained by the potential exclusion of relevant studies due to language restrictions and uncontrolled bias in the included studies. Conclusions: Several psychological themes were identified, not all exclusive to transplant recipients. Developing a targeted questionnaire to gather primary data could enhance clinical practice and improve counseling services for this patient population.