Pregnancy after donor nephrectomy.

The use of living-related kidney donors has been a routine practice in most major transplant centers in the United States for more than 20 years. Concern has arisen regarding the potential for developing hypertension and progressive renal dysfunction after renal donation. Pregnancy results in hyperfiltration and might be an added risk for the development of hypertension, proteinuria, or renal insufficiency in donors. From 1963 until 1984, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation performed 1031 renal transplants, 355 from living donors. Of these 355 living donors, 191 were female, and of these, 23 successfully conceived after kidney donation. Prenatal and delivery records of all 23 were reviewed. There were 39 pregnancies in 23 women with 32 viable births. Conception ranged from 2 weeks to more than 9 years postnephrectomy. Mean blood pressure at the time of donor evaluation was 120/75 mm Hg (SD: +/- 11/8 mm Hg). Mean blood pressure during pregnancy was 114/68 mm Hg (SD: +/- 7/6 mm Hg). One plus proteinuria was detected in 2 women during the third trimester and trace proteinuria was seen in 7 pregnancies; this proteinuria disappeared after delivery. Thirteen of twenty women who carried to term were reevaluated 2-14 years after donor nephrectomy. All parameters studied were normal. Mean length of follow-up after donor nephrectomy was 7.9 years. These data suggest that, after donor nephrectomy, women can have a normal pregnancy without significant problems related to the kidney donation. Also, hyperfiltration associated with the combination of unilateral nephrectomy and pregnancy does not lead to significant hypertension, proteinuria, change in glomerular filtration rate, or abnormalities of the urinary sediment.