The 25th Anniversary of the National Transplantation Pregnancy Registry.

Abstract

The National Transplantation Pregnancy Registry (NTPR) is a unique resource for comprehensive information about parenthood after transplantation. To date, 1461 female solid organ transplant recipients with 2609 pregnancies and 879 male recipients who fathered 1358 pregnancies have participated in the NTPR. Over the first 25 years of the NTPR, pregnancy after transplantation has progressed from a situation where termination was once advised, to a topic of pre-transplant counselling with likelihood for success if established criteria are met. Pregnancy after transplantation remains high-risk; it should be carefully considered, planned, and monitored by a multidisciplinary health care team. Pregnancy and maternal outcomes vary based on multiple factors, especially on the type of organ transplanted and the pre-pregnancy graft function. As an open-ended condition-based study, the NTPR accumulates a vast amount of data that is used for comparisons that measure the reliability and benefits of treatments and for developing state-of-the-art management guidelines based on a review of current practices at participating transplant centers. NTPR data analyses have contributed to quantifying issues surrounding post-transplant parenthood such as location of the transplanted organ in proximity to the developing fetus, the safety of various immunosuppressive regimens for pregnancy and fatherhood, the teratogenicity of maternal exposure to mycophenolate during pregnancy, the advisability and timing of planning a posttransplant pregnancy, the dosing of medications during pregnancy, the incidence and treatment of comorbidities during pregnancy, and the effect of in utero or breast milk exposure to immunosuppressants on the developing child. As the face of transplantation evolves, the NTPR will continue to collect and disseminate information to assist recipients and their healthcare providers in making informed decisions about the advisability of pregnancy and care for those who choose to become parents after a solid organ transplant. To insure the continued success of our study, all transplant centers and recipients are encouraged to contact the NTPR to report any post-transplant pregnancy.