Pregnancy after pancreas-kidney transplantation

Abstract

A combined kidney and pancreas transplant is a therapeutic option for patients with type 1 diabetes and end-stage renal disease. After successful transplantation, fertility is rapidly restored, allowing women of childbearing age to have spontaneous pregnancies and men to father pregnancies. These pregnancies are at increased risk for maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes due to immunosuppressive therapy, comorbidities, previous type 1 diabetes and previous transplant surgery, although the majority ends with the birth of a live and healthy offspring. Hypertension, miscarriages, diabetes, infections, graft rejections, preterm delivery and low birth weight may complicate pregnancies after pancreas-kidney transplantation. Since not all immunosuppressive drugs can be safely used in pregnancy, it is important to review immunosuppressive treatment before conception. Adequate pre-conception counseling is important to inform women and their partners about potential risks for the pregnancy and the grafts and the advantages of pregnancy planning. These pregnancies should be managed within a multidisciplinary team, comprising a transplant physician, an endocrinologist, a nephrologist, an obstetrician and a neonatologist. Last but not least, it is very important to continue collecting data on the pregnancies in pancreas-kidney transplantation with the aim to improve knowledge and to generate evidence-based guidelines for the care of women after pancreas-kidney transplants who are considering a pregnancy.

Keywords: Immunosuppressive therapy; Kidney transplantation; Pancreas transplantation; Pregnancy after transplantation; Pregnancy in kidney donor; Pregnancy planning.