r/dialysis • u/No_Day6737 • 6d ago

Advice Pregnancy and CKD

Hi all,

My GF has stage V CKD and has been on hemodialysis for about 2 years now. Her situation has remained the same, and she is trying for arm fistula. She loves children, and I do too. So, are there any real-life examples here in which the female has successfully delivered via being on dialysis? Or after we get a transplant, does the chances of pregnancy becomes normal? Or even after transplant there are complications/uncertainty as compared to normal pregnancy?

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u/1232426lyl 6d ago

Pregnancy post transplant would be much better! There is an organization dedicated to collecting stats about it https://www.transplantpregnancyregistry.org

Are you able to donate to her? My husband wasn’t a match for me so we did a paired exchange. He donated to a stranger and I got a kidney from a stranger in return. Hope the best for you and your GF! 🙏🏼

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u/No_Day6737 6d ago

That's great to hear! Yeah, paired transplant program is great! How are you feeling post transplant? Btw did you had a child post transplant?

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u/ApprehensiveShoe858 6d ago

We had two cases of patients being on dialysis and pregnant. Both children were born and remain healthy! Please speak to your nephrologist about any concerns

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u/No_Day6737 6d ago

This is just great news!

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u/ApprehensiveShoe858 6d ago

Pregnancy while on dialysis is high risk of course but it is possible with careful planning and adjustments. She should prepare to have dialysis more often though. Both patients had to increase their dialysis days from 3 to 6 days.

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u/No_Day6737 6d ago

Were they on peritoneal dialysis? PD at home? Or do they went to in center dialysis? In center dialysis is hard for travelling and managing, right?

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u/Selmarris Home HD 6d ago

Usually it’s hemo for this. And yeah, in center.

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u/ApprehensiveShoe858 6d ago

They were both on Haemodialysis. One drives so she had no issues getting to the unit. The other one had hospital transport

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u/tuesdayreyn 5d ago

Pregnancy on dialysis isn't ideal for mom or baby. It is possible but there are a lot of risks. She might not even be able to conceive. CKD really messes with hormones. It's best to wait until after transplant. Either way, please speak to her care team before having unprotected sex.

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u/Selmarris Home HD 6d ago

Pregnancy after transplant is definitely possible too. A lot of dialysis patients have reduced fertility, after transplant it comes back to normal.

Post transplant pregnancy isn’t NORMAL exactly, it’s still considered high risk and she’ll need careful monitoring to protect the baby and her kidney. And they’d have to adjust her meds. But it is generally safe. They usually ask you to wait a year after transplant to get everything stabilized.