Potential female donors frequently ask whether unilateral nephrectomy will 
impair future childbearing capabilities. To address this question, we surveyed 
220 women who underwent donor nephrectomy between 1985 and 1992. Of the 144 
women who responded, 33 became pregnant after donation for a total of 45 
pregnancies. Seventy-five percent of the pregnancies were carried to term 
without difficulty. Complications incurred during gestation included miscarriage 
(13.3%), preeclampsia (4.4%), gestational hypertension (4.4%), proteinuria 
(4.4%), and tubal pregnancy (2.2%). Four of the 45 pregnancies (excluding 
miscarriages) required preterm hospitalization, resulting in an overall 
morbidity of 8.8%. There were no pregnancy-related deaths, and no fetal 
abnormalities were reported. Problems with persistent hypertension, proteinuria, 
or changes in renal function were not noted. None of the above complications 
exceeded what has been noted for the general population. Infertility was a 
problem in 8.3% (3/36) of our respondents, compared with a worldwide incidence 
of 16.7%. Based on these results, we conclude that donor nephrectomy is not 
detrimental to the prenatal course or outcome of future pregnancies.