Sexual Life, Pregnancy and Counseling After Renal Transplantation

Abstract

Kidney transplantation is considered the gold standard treatment for end-stage renal disease. Transplantation improves sexual health and quality of life by reducing the risk of death and increasing the chances of long-term survival. Approximately 40% of kidney transplant recipients are women and men who are able to become parents. Although kidney transplantation gives hope to kidney failure patients desiring to have children, transplantation brings some difficulties including sexual dysfunctions and unplanned pregnancies. Women receiving immunosuppressive therapy after kidney transplantation can be affected by sexual dysfunction, adverse pregnancy outcomes and breastfeeding concerns, and for men, sexual dysfunctions are common. Patient care and follow-up during the transplant process require a multidisciplinary team approach that includes a transplant surgeon, nephrologist, nephrology and transplant nurses, and organ transplant coordinator. Nephrology and transplantation nurses and other transplantation team members have important responsibilities before, during and after transplantation. To maximize the chances of graft survival and improve quality of life, nephrology and transplantation nurses need to take a holistic approach, and provide the patient with counseling on sexuality and reproduction, and also carefully manage pre-and post-operative care. © 2022, Turk Nefroloji Diyaliz ve Transplantasyon Hemsireleri Dernegi. All rights reserved.