Pregnancy Outcomes in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients With Exposure to Mycophenolate Mofetil or Sirolimus

Background. Animal and limited human studies have raised concerns as to the safety of in utero exposure to mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and sirolimus (SRL) in transplant recipients. This study examined the outcomes of pregnancies with exposure to MMF or SRL from 30 female transplant recipients (39 pregnancies) who have reported pregnancies to the National Transplantation Pregnancy Registry. Methods. Data were collected via questionnaires, phone interviews and medical records. Results. There were 18 kidney recipients reporting 26 pregnancies with exposure to MMF: 15 livebirths (LB), 11 spontaneous abortions (SA). Structural malformations were reported in four of the 15 children (26.7%) including: hypoplastic nails and shortened fifth fingers (one), microtia with cleft lip and palate (one), microtia alone (one), and neonatal death with multiple malformations (one). One kidney/pancreas (K/P) recipient reported one SA. Three liver recipients reported three pregnancies; two LB (no malformations), and one second trimester SA. Two heart recipients reported one LB (no malformations) and two SA. SRL exposures included seven recipients (four kidney, one K/P and two liver) reporting four LB (one infant whose mother was switched from MMF to SRL during late pregnancy had cleft lip and palate and microtia) and three SA. Conclusions. A higher incidence of structural malformations was seen with MMF exposures during pregnancy compared to the overall kidney transplant recipient offspring, while no structural defects have as yet been reported with early pregnancy sirolimus exposures. Centers are encouraged to report all pregnancy exposures in transplant recipients.

[1]  M. Polley Renal transplantation. , 1967, Nursing times.

[2]  D. McKay,et al.  Pregnancy in recipients of solid organs--effects on mother and child. , 2006, The New England journal of medicine.

[3]  E. Beahm,et al.  Auricular reconstruction for microtia: part I. Anatomy, embryology, and clinical evaluation. , 2002, Plastic and reconstructive surgery.

[4]  D. Riley,et al.  Kidney transplantation during the first trimester of pregnancy: immunosuppression with mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, and prednisone. , 2001, Transplantation.

[5]  P Fauchald,et al.  PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDY OF MYCOPHENOLATE MOFETIL COMBINED WITH CYCLOSPORINE AND CORTICOSTEROIDS FOR PREVENTION OF ACUTE REJECTION , 1995 .

[6]  J. Davison,et al.  Immunosuppression in pregnancy: choices for infant and maternal health. , 2002, Drugs.

[7]  F Willgeroth,et al.  [Drugs in pregnancy and lactation]. , 1979, Fortschritte der Medizin.

[8]  Sollinger Hw Mycophenolate mofetil for the prevention of acute rejection in primary cadaveric renal allograft recipients. U.S. Renal Transplant Mycophenolate Mofetil Study Group. , 1995 .

[9]  J. Mastrobattista,et al.  Pregnancy after organ transplant. , 2004, Obstetrics and gynecology clinics of North America.

[10]  European best practice guidelines for renal transplantation. Section IV: Long-term management of the transplant recipient. IV.10. Pregnancy in renal transplant recipients. , 2002, Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association.

[11]  Y. Hiki,et al.  Enzymatically deglycosylated human IgA1 molecules accumulate and induce inflammatory cell reaction in rat glomeruli. , 2002, Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association.

[12]  R. Frydman,et al.  Mycophenolate Mofetil in Pregnancy After Renal Transplantation: A Case of Major Fetal Malformations , 2004, Obstetrics and gynecology.

[13]  Barry D Kahan,et al.  Efficacy of sirolimus compared with azathioprine for reduction of acute renal allograft rejection: a randomised multicentre study , 2000, The Lancet.

[14]  L. Pączek,et al.  Absence of teratogenicity of sirolimus used during early pregnancy in a liver transplant recipient. , 2004, Transplantation proceedings.

[15]  S. Decramer,et al.  In utero exposure to immunosuppressive drugs: experimental and clinical studies , 2002, Pediatric Nephrology.

[16]  M. Rial,et al.  Pregnancy under sirolimus-based immunosuppression. , 2006, Transplantation.