How living kidney donation can affect pregnancy
If I donate a kidney, what will happen if I get pregnant?
Donating a kidney doesn’t change your ability to get pregnant.
Donating a kidney may make you more likely to have problems during pregnancy than women who haven’t donated a kidney, but most women who get pregnant after donating have no problems with their pregnancy. The most common problem is preeclampsia, which is a type of high blood pressure during pregnancy. 12% of donors had preeclampsia in a later pregnancy in one study.
Doctors need more research to better understand how kidney donation affects pregnancy and giving birth.
What should I do if I may want to donate and become pregnant?
It may be best to donate before becoming pregnant, but it is possible to donate after having a baby.
Here are a few recommendations:
- Before you donate, talk to your doctor about your plans to donate a kidney and have a baby so they can help you understand your chance of health problems
- After you donate:
- Get regular check-ups with your doctors
- Don’t smoke
- Exercise and eat healthy foods so you stay at a healthy weight
- Wait until you are completely healed before you get pregnant. Your doctors can tell you how long you need to wait.
