In: Advances in Medicine and Biology. Vol. 107 ISBN: 978 - 1 - 53610 - 056 - 3
Editor: Leon V. Berhardt © 201 6 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Chapter 3
PREGNANCY AND HEMODIALYSIS
Yukari Asamiya1,*, MD, Ken Tsuchiya^2 , MD
and Kosaku Nitta^1 , MD
(^1) Department of Medicine, Kidney Center,
Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
(^2) Department of Blood Purification, Kidney Center,
Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
ABSTRACT
The outcomes of pregnancy in patients on dialysis have greatly
improved in the last half-century. Therefore, the current medical opinion
regarding pregnancy in women on hemodialysis has recently changed
from ‘impossible’ to ‘possible,’ and pregnancy is no longer automatically
discouraged, although it is still relatively uncommon and associated with
a certain degree of risk. In order to decide whether to become pregnant or
not, hemodialysis patients and their family members should be provided
with sufficient information regarding the success rate, complications,
need of intensive dialysis 6 - 7 days per week, optimal nutrition, and
alternative options, including delaying pregnancy to after renal
transplantation. In addition, to avoid delays in the detection of pregnancy,
patient education and pregnancy planning is critical. Hence, close
collaboration between patients, their family, nephrologists, dialysis staff,
obstetricians, and neonatologists is necessary.- Corresponding Author Email: [email protected].