Contraception and Child Birth in Kidney Transplant Patients: What Are We Missing as Physicians?

Objective: The primary aim of our study was to evaluate the knowledge of young female patients about pregnancy and contraception after kidney transplantation and to reveal the role of physicians in patient information processes. The secondary aim was to determine the pregnancy outcomes.

Materials and Methods: Women who were not older than 40 years at the time of transplantation were included in the study. A questionnaire consisting of 30 questions was prepared.

Results: Sixty-six patients were examined. The mean age was 30.3 years, and the mean transplantation time was 49.8 months. Twenty patients (30.3%) were not offered contraception at the time of transplantation. Contraception was recommended to 46 patients. Only 19.5% of recommenders were physicians. When the questionnaire was administered, 23 of 29 sexually active patients were using contraception. Withdrawal (52%), condom (30.4%), and intrauterine device (IUD) (8.6%) were the preferred contraception methods. Nine patients conceived successfully. For all six live births, the mode of delivery was cesarean section. Five of them were premature. Three pregnancies are ongoing. When we asked the patients which drugs should not be used during pregnancy, 38 of them (57.5%) replied they did not know; 16, 7, and 5 patients reported that mycophenolate mofetil, mycophenolate sodium, and tacrolimus should not be used during pregnancy, respectively.

Conclusion: Before and after a kidney transplant, the recommendation of contraceptive choices and protection from pregnancy in female patients are being overlooked. We conclude that physicians mostly pay attention to this matter when the patient expresses a desire to become pregnant.

Cite this article as: Günay E, Gökalp C. Contraception and Child Birth in Kidney Transplant Patients: What Are We Missing as Physicians? Turk J Nephrol 2020; 29(3): 212-4.