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Pregnancy in Living Kidney Donors: An Evidence-Based Review

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

To review the current studies and guidelines on the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in female kidney donors.

Recent Findings

Living kidney donors include a significant number of women of child-bearing age. Safety and possible risks of pregnancy after donation are a concern for female kidney donor candidates. Some studies indicate a higher risk of preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, and preterm birth in women after kidney donation. Considering the increasing prevalence of living kidney donors, maternal and fetal outcomes following living kidney donation are an active area of research.

Summary

Guidelines and consensus statements on the risk of pregnancy in living kidney donors recommend close monitoring of blood pressure, weight gain, and proteinuria during pregnancy. Current studies indicate an increased risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in living kidney donors. Counseling and informing donor candidates about the possible risks is important.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

    Ayse Serra Artan, Nurane Guller, Ozgur Akin Oto, Halil Yazici & Aydin Turkmen

  2. Center for Abdominal Transplantation, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA

    Vidyaratna Fleetwood, Yasar Caliskan & Krista L. Lentine

  3. Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

    Safak Mirioglu

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  1. Ayse Serra Artan
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  2. Vidyaratna Fleetwood
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Correspondence to Ayse Serra Artan.

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Disclosures

KLL is a Senior Scientist of the SRTR, receives research funding related to living donation from the National Institutes of Health (NIH R01DK120551), and is also supported by the Mid-America Transplant/Jane A. Beckman Endowed Chair in Transplantation. KLL is chair of the AST LDCOP, member of the ASN Policy and Advocacy Committee, and a member of the National Kidney Foundation Transplant Advisory Committee. Unrelated to this work, KLL receives consulting fees from CareDx and speaker honoraria from Sanofi.

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Artan, A.S., Fleetwood, V., Guller, N. et al. Pregnancy in Living Kidney Donors: An Evidence-Based Review. Curr Transpl Rep 10, 110–116 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40472-023-00402-8

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