Unwanted pregnancy among kidney transplant recipients in Iran.
To investigate the incidence of unwanted pregnancy among kidney transplant recipients, we studied 86 pregnancies in 64 women with a transplanted kidney. Twenty-five pregnancies were unwanted (29.1%). Pregnancy was terminated by induced abortion in seven patients, and four pregnancies were lost due to spontaneous abortion with one intrauterine fetal death. Only 13 (52%) pregnancies resulted in a live birth. Most of the unwanted pregnancies occurred in women using coitus interruptus (92%) as the only method of contraception. It is concluded that because fertility greatly improves after kidney transplantation, it is necessary to have a family planning counseling session before surgery. If a patient is not interested in future pregnancy, an effective method of contraception should be offered. A woman who has decided against childbearing in the future may decide to have a tubal ligation at the time of transplantation surgery.
Ghazizadeh
S
S
Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. shirin_ghazizadeh@yahoo.com
Lessan-Pezeshki
M
M
Khatami
M
M
Mahdavi
M
M
Razeghi
E
E
Seifi
S
S
Ahmadi
F
F
Maziar
S
S
Azmandian
J
J
Abbasi
M
M
D000028:Abortion, Induced; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003076:Coitus Interruptus; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011275:Pregnancy, Unwanted