General
pregnancy after transplant
September 6, 2023
in General
I am curious to hear from women who have had organ transplants and later carried a child through pregnancy. I have a daughter who has had a kidney transplant and am wondering about future pregnancy discussions. As of now there is zero interest in having a biological child and the possibility of surrogate or adoption in the future should the desire for a child ever arise. I know medications can be harmful to fetus and there are medication changes that can happen, but there is also a concern on the burden a pregnancy can have on the transplanted organ. How are other families dealing with this issue?
1 - 5 of 5 Replies
Transplant Patient
I love this question, and think it isn't talked about nearly enough! As I've dived into this world, I've discovered there isn't nearly enough research or documented lived experiences connecting women's health and transplantation.
I personally had a rough journey, and lost my first child during pregnancy which ultimately led to my need for a liver transplant. Since then, my husband and I have made the decision not to have biological children. Biology isn't what makes a family, and that has never felt important to either one of us.
I do know the transplant pregnancy registry has done and is doing research on transplantation and pregnancy and fertility, and it could be a valuable resource for your daughter as she begins making these decisions for herself.
I do know women who have had transplants and successful pregnancies. I tried to have a family starting after the 4th year after my kidney transplant. I unfortunately experienced a miscarriage at 5 months. That led to an acute rejection episode. I was in the hospital for quite some time trying to save the kidney. After all of that, I decided to never try again. It was not worth it for me to take a risk like that.
Oh I am so sorry for your loss. We thought about freezing eggs before dialysis and transplant but my daughter was only 16 and did not want to go through the process at that age. I am glad that we have had the discussions ahead of time and there is an open dialogue about it. She is 20 years old now and still has no desire to be in an intimate relationship and no thoughts of having children at this time.
Jeanmarie, I hope you continue to have a healthy life with your transplanted organ and admire you for your strength. Thank you for sharing a difficult personal topic.
Thank you! It is not an easy topic. I think it is essential for people to talk about it though. It is definitely something that needs lots of planning with the transplant team and it can be a possibility for some.
I spoke to someone awhile back who told me that freezing eggs for something that is caused by a medical condition, it might be covered by insurance. There was a law that was being considered, but I dont know if that is something that was passed or if it is still being worked on.