Pregnancy

[Poppylicious]

I realise that there are other threads about this but most of my (okay, somewhat limited) research has just brought up threads about pregnancy for women who have had transplants.  I therefore decided I was within my rights to start a fresh thread.

 

I talked to my living donor coordinator lots about wanting to try for a baby after the transplant and she was happy that I'd done my research.  I was hoping to start trying for a baby in the new year (I'm not getting any younger; nearer 40 than 30, eeek!)  However, we had a meeting today with other recent recipients where we were told that pregnancy within the first twelve months of a transplant was not advisable.  I'll be honest, I immediately assumed it was because a woman has to continue to take meds and these could affect the baby, etc.  Then it became apparent that they meant it wasn't advisable for anybody - male or female - to conceive within twelve months.  This has irked me.  I realise that it's due to the medication, but I'm very aware that it could take me a very long while to conceive (I would be incredibly surprised to fall pregnant immediately!) so do you think it would hurt to start trying in the new year, or should we religiously follow the guidelines?  I do worry that I won't be able to conceive (and there is a part of me which is okay with that, but ...) and if I can't then I'd like the option of at least one go with IVF on the NHS and there are age limits on that in the UK.

I know, I know ... we should talk to the nephs about this (and we will); I just wanted some honest opinions and thoughts from you lovely people. 

(I suppose I'm irked that my living donor coordinator didn't mention the twelve month 'ban' ... it wouldn't have made me reconsider, but at least I would have been aware prior to surgery and my mindset would have been different.  I don't actually feel comfortable with this thread as I feel as though I'm baring my soul in a very public place and I try not to do that on here very often; please be gentle with me!)

 

[MooseMom]

This is a very interesting topic about which I know absolutely nothing about, which is why I find it interesting!  Thanks so much for trusting us with such a sensitive and person discussion.

This is one of many areas in which a recipient is given much more information than a donor.  I can see where there are all kinds of reasons for a female recipient to avoid pregnancy for a specific period of time after transplantation, but I must confess it had never occurred to me that a male recipient might have trouble with fertility, potency or genetic damage to his sperm.  Is this what the leader of this meeting was implying?  Do the post transplant drugs cause problems related to reproduction in a male recipient?

Are donors put on any meds post-surgery?  Are you on any meds that might make it more difficult for you to conceive?  I guess I am not entirely sure from where the risk is coming, so if you could answer that, maybe we can figure this out.  The only think I can think of is that any donor will naturally have reduced kidney function for up to a year, and reduced renal function can have bad consequences for mom and babe.  Do you know what your renal function is now and what it is expect to be in, say, 4 months time?

What you will have to find out about is not just if donating will make it harder for you to conceive but, rather, whether donating will make it harder for you to carry to term.  You will also need to ask if impaired maternal renal function will have an impact on a developing baby.

I would be most eager to find out the answers to these many questions.  These are things I admit I had never thought about.  Good luck in finding some answers to these very important and impactful queries.

[bette1]

I had a baby four years after transplant.  I was told not to have a baby during the first 12 months because the transplant center felt that your transplant was not stable until after a year.  Very interesting that it's really due to the meds, but I can understand that because many of the anti-regection medication will be toxic to the unborn baby.  When I was pregnant, and trying to get pregnant, the doctors took me totally off of some of my meds and reduced the doses on others. 

I would tell the docs of your intentions and find out what meds they would change while you were pregnant before I made any decision.  I know myfortic is toxic to pregnant woman.

[MooseMom]

Bette, Poppy is a donor, not a recipient, so do you have any information for her in this regard?

[willowtreewren]

Poppy,

Is this because of the meds that Blokey is taking? Or because of the stress on YOUR body. If it is because of Blokey's meds, I would definitely wait the year.

  to you on this journey.

Aleta

[natnnnat]

In an almost irrelevant aside, gregory had his thyroid removed this year, and then he was irradiated to the gills and back.  Then they told us, AFTER he'd had the treatment, after the four days of him being kept in solitary confinement for being so radioactive, they told us by the way, don't fall pregnant for a year.  Not that we had a choice I suppose, but I'm 42, so if there was any chance of babies for us, which I guess maybe there wasn't, but if there was, then this is probably coming on the last year for it.  So all I have to say is that I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL.  It was a matter of, right, well we had no choice, and I gues we would have done the same thing anyway, but hey, what??  Could we at least have known about that angle? 

[Beth36]

I was in this situation when my mother was in need of a transplant almost 4 years ago. My husband and I wanted another child and IVF is our only option and I was told it was because it takes a toll on your body after donating. You have healing to do and I will tell you that IVF is no walk in the park, either. You are on a lot of meds and you have to have surgery, albeit outpatient, to harvest your eggs and it is hard on your body. My sister ended up being my mom's donor and we did IVF and I got pregnant with twins. THAT was hard as well....after having a singleton first, it was very uncomfortable and my twins were healthy but premature, born at 36 weeks. It's a risk you take doing IVF. Multiples are not as common with IVF as everybody things (thanks to Octomom!) but they do happen and it is very stressful on your body. I had my first child at 33 and my twins at 37.

Beth

[lola]

Otto was never told to wait, and he was on the same meds for 16 years. I was very worried as they said we may have problems but we have 3 kids and I got pregnant within 2 months each time trying

[The Noob]

don't know if it will help or encourage you in any way hon, but wanted to share with you a little tidbit.

i have a picture of the baby shower for me and 3 other women, we were all in various stages of pregnancy.
it was me, my twin sister, my cousin, and my MOM..(Mom was 44)..and my sis and i were youngest of 4 grown offspring of Moms.
it was my 3rd, my sisters 4th, my cousins 1st, my Moms 5th.

then i have another pic several months later, of all us again, siting in the same living room in my home, all of us breast feeding, yes, my mom too. she would actually nurse her granddaughter as well so my sister and i could occasionally take the day off away from it all.

that little sister of mine is now 23, married with a baby girl now. and my MOM< this is the one with only one kidney, always her whole life. only one of her kidneys ever developed and she never knew it until last year.

just saying is all.. 

[Poppylicious]

Thanks for all your replies. 

My kidney function is a-ok; creatinine (I only have those figures to go on) rose immediately post-surgery as expected but my other kidney was quick to take up the slack.  No worries there!

As the meeting was for recipients I'm guessing the wait is due to meds.  Perhaps because it can take a while to stabilise and get everything as it should be.  We did also wonder if meds can cause some problem with fertility.  The nurse did say that those considering pregnancy should talk to their nephs; I'll try to attend one of Blokey's clinics in the new year and we'll ask the question together.

I know that lots of women are having babies later in life anyway (a lot of my friends of the same age are either still childless or have only just had their first in the last two to three years) and it's not unusual for a forty-something to have a baby, so I'm hopeful that it won't be a problem and I won't require the need for IVF or anything if we do have to wait a few more months.  Also, we want to go to Australia next summer anyway and a lack of pregnancy will help with that. 

I suppose I'm just worried because I'm not getting any younger, and after all this a baby was something we were looking forward to! And trying for! 

I suppose I'm also a little annoyed that in all my research and discussions with the living donor lady, this didn't come up.  Perhaps now I've raised it here it'll show up on Google or somesuch, ha!

Again, thanks for your replies lovely lovely people.  You've definitely given me some encouragement and made me feel more positive about it. Maybe I'm just more impatient than I realised!

 

[Annig83]

Hi Poppy.

This was a good topic and interesting to read.  Playing Devil's Advocate here...  I've had Nephrotic Syndrome since I was 13, and was told not to get pregnant, or that it may be impossible anyway... however at 30% functioning I conceived my son.  I was thinking, that even with waiting a year, and having to be on medication and recovering, that a pregnancy would be extremely difficult on a donor??  Pregnancy is super difficult on the kidneys due to blood volume increase and weight gain... I know the remaining kidney grows larger in order to compensate for the other one being gone....does that mean that (like in my case with 30% functioning) the strain of a pregnancy would increase a risk for complications on the remaining kidney?

Just curious if anyone knew?  I know that with after having my son (3 months premmaturely) that my kidney function sunk to 7% and I had to start CAPD immediately following his birth.  Granted I had problems with my kidneys since 13 years old, but it makes me wonder if a person with only one healthy kidney could sustain a healthy pregnancy??

[Poppylicious]

... but it makes me wonder if a person with only one healthy kidney could sustain a healthy pregnancy??

I think The Noob's post above answers that! I do realise it could cause more complications, etc. but I'm fairly confident that my Living Donor Lady wouldn't have let me go ahead with donating if she thought I wasn't aware of the consequences AND if she thought I shouldn't attempt to get pregnant afterwards. 

 

[Annig83]

 Poppy- lol I must have missed the last part of Noob's post! good luck with everything!

[lainiepop]

I think people with 1 fully functioning kidney are supposed to have no issues having a baby. I had my son (now 4) when function was around 30% and went full term with him, without much damage to the kidney. However when i conceived my daughter i got the flu and that knocked me down to 23%, it was 17% when i had her in july and then dropped to 10% a mth after her delivery (she was 5wks early). Its now at 8.8% but am not on dialysis at mo im due to have a transplant from my dad in 8 wks so hoping i can last that long. Had i not had elena im pretty sure my kidney wouldve lasted at least 5 more yrs. Ive never had more than about 40% function and have had 2 kids and 30 yrs on it so someone with one perfect kidney which can do the job of 2 should be fine. Tons of luck. No more kids for me ever but they are great