Pregnancy and the kidney transplant recipient.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The current article reviews the available literature on the incidence, complications, outcomes, and management of pregnancies in kidney transplant recipients.

RECENT FINDINGS: Pregnancy can be a reasonable option for women with a kidney transplant. More than 4700 successful pregnancies have been reported after kidney transplantation. New data have emerged regarding the risk of allograft dysfunction following pregnancy. There is a lack of consensus on the optimal time for conception, immunosuppressive targets, the safety of allograft biopsy, and infection surveillance. Successful pregnancies have recently been reported in ABO-incompatible transplant recipients and recipients of combined heart-kidney transplants.

SUMMARY: The ideal contraceptive method, timing of conception, immunosuppressant protocol, infection surveillance, and the method of delivery should be individualized depending on the patient's age and medical conditions.