Immediately After Transplant

When you wake up in the recovery room or
in the intensive care unit after your anesthesia
wears off, you will feel pain and discomfort, but the medication you receive will help to relieve it. You may or may not feel nauseated from the anesthesia.

You may have a tube in your throat to help you breathe, but it will be removed when you can breathe on your own. You may have an intravenous (IV) line in your arm, so you can get fluids and medication for the first few days after surgery. You may have a catheter inserted near your collarbone or in your neck to help your transplant team keep an eye on your fluid levels.

You will also have a catheter in your bladder to help you pass urine, but you will only have to tolerate it for a few days. If you don't produce urine right away after surgery, you may need dialysis for a short time, until your new kidney becomes fully functional.

Weeks and Months After Transplant

Recovery time is different from person to person, and your transplant team will tell you when you can go back to your regular activities. However, many people find they are able to return to work within 1-2 months after transplant. You may have to wait longer to get permission to travel, especially to areas that may not have the resources to care for you should an emergency arise.

You will begin a kidney medicine regimen and should be open with your transplant team about the side effects you are experiencing. It may take some adjustment to find the right combination of medicines for you.

Intimacy After Transplant

Many people have questions about sex
after a transplant. Although the
transplant doesn't directly involve your
sexual organs, it can have
an effect on your functioning. Some
medications can affect your sexual
desire and function, so you should
discuss this with your transplant team.
Your team can also tell you when it's
safe to begin sexual activity after your transplant, and any precautions you
should take.

Pregnancy

Most doctors recommend waiting at least 1–2 years before getting pregnant. Even then, the pregnancy will be considered high-risk and you will need to be monitored more closely than the average pregnant woman. The physical stress from pregnancy can cause strain on the

transplanted kidney, so you should work with your health m care provider to find ways to minimize this. Also, transplant recipients are more likely to deliver prematurely or have babies of low birth weight.

Once you become pregnant, you may need to change some of your medications. You should not take myfortic^® or CellCept^® if you are planning to get pregnant, and these drugs should not be used during pregnancy unless you cannot be successfully treated with other immunosuppressant drugs. In certain situations, you and your health care practitioner may decide that the benefits to you outweigh the risks to your unborn baby. If you do use these medications at any time during pregnancy, you are encouraged to enroll in the National Transplantation Pregnancy Registry by calling 1-877-955-6877.

If you become pregnant after a kidney transplant, you will need to work with your doctors to find the delicate balance between protecting your own health and that of your unborn child. The good news is that thousands of kidney transplant recipients have gone on to have healthy pregnancies. With the proper care and precautions, you have a good chance of delivering a healthy baby.