Pregnancy in women with kidney disease
Pregnancy is a physiologic stressor on a woman's body. The cardiac output has to increase to keep up with the increased metabolic demands of the woman and the developing fetus. The blood flow to the kidneys increases. Changes in blood electrolyte and acid levels occur. These changes, among others, have implications for both the kidney's function, as well the state of the pregnancy. Hence, nephrologists typically try to answer two questions when assessing these issues: 1) How does kidney disease affect the chances of getting pregnant, and kidney disease's effect on pregnancy? 2) What effects does pregnancy have on the status of your underlying kidney disease? Continuing on my last discussion about sexual and reproductive issues in people with kidney disease, lets carry this forward.