Parenthood in pediatric liver transplant patients

Abstract

Liver transplantation has become a universally accepted treatment for numerous congenital and acquired hepatic disorders that cause liver failure. Without liver transplantation, patients in their reproductive years are afflicted with oligospermia or azoospermia in men and amenorrhea in women, with infertility being a consequence in both sexes. The aim of this study is to describe our experiences concerning the parenthood of pediatric individuals who are successful recipients of liver transplantations coming into the reproductive years of life. We retrospectively analyzed data of 207 pediatric liver transplanted patients (96 women, 111 men). Among them, three women conceived and delivered four babies, and two men admitted to paternity of two children after they all had been recipients of liver transplants. All female transplant recipients had received tacrolimus-based immunosuppression. Preterm delivery was the most clinically important complication among these patients. Only one of the female patients experienced hypercalcemia during the pregnancy. None had any other complications such as hypertension, preeclampsia, cholestasis, or diabetes. There was no graft insufficiency, rejection, or birth defect. We concluded that maternity and paternity in liver transplant patients show normal outcomes even though this procedure occurs in childhood, and pregnancy did not seem to impair graft function in patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs.