Hope for motherhood: pregnancy after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (a national multicenter study)

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • German Cooperative Transplant Study Group - (Author)
  • German Registry of Stem Cell Transplantation (DRST) - (Author)
  • Department of Internal Medicine I
  • Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics
  • Department of Internal Medicine III
  • Chair of Fluid-Mechatronic Systems (Fluidtronics)
  • University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden
  • University of Hamburg
  • University of Duisburg-Essen
  • Friedrich Schiller University Jena
  • University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel
  • Hannover Medical School (MHH)
  • University Hospital Tübingen
  • University of Freiburg
  • University Hospital Duesseldorf
  • Robert Bosch Krankenhaus Stuttgart
  • University Hospital Leipzig
  • Leipzig University
  • Augsburg University
  • University Hospital Frankfurt
  • Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
  • University of Regensburg
  • Heidelberg University 
  • Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg
  • Paracelsus Medical University Nuremberg
  • University of Cologne
  • Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
  • University Hospital Gießen and Marburg
  • University of Göttingen
  • DKD Helios Klinik Wiesbaden
  • Hematology
  • University of Rostock
  • Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein - Campus Lübeck
  • German Registry of Stem Cell Transplantation (DRST)

Abstract

Improved long-term survival rates after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) make family planning for young adult cancer survivors an important topic. However, treatment-related infertility risk poses challenges. To assess pregnancy and birth rates in a contemporary cohort, we conducted a national multicenter study using data from the German Transplant Registry, focusing on adult women aged 18 to 40 years who underwent alloHCT between 2003 and 2018. Of 2654 women who underwent transplantation, 50 women experienced 74 pregnancies, occurring at a median of 4.7 years after transplant. Fifty-seven of these resulted in live births (77%). The annual first birth rate among HCT recipients was 0.45%, which is >6 times lower than in the general population. The probability of a live birth 10 years after HCT was 3.4%. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of pregnancy were younger age at alloHCT, nonmalignant transplant indications, no total body irradiation or a cumulative dose of <8 Gy, and nonmyeloablative/reduced-intensity conditioning. Notably, 72% of pregnancies occurred spontaneously, with assisted reproductive technologies used in the remaining cases. Preterm delivery and low birth weight were more common than in the general population. This study represents the largest data set reporting pregnancies in a cohort of adult female alloHCT recipients. Our findings underscore a meaningful chance of pregnancy in alloHCT recipients. Assisted reproductive technologies techniques are important and funding should be made available. However, the potential for spontaneous pregnancies should not be underestimated, and patients should be informed of the possibility of unexpected pregnancy despite reduced fertility. Further research is warranted to understand the impact of conditioning decisions on fertility preservation.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1532-1542
Number of pages11
JournalBlood
Volume144
Issue number14
Publication statusPublished - 3 Oct 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 39007722
ORCID /0000-0002-4228-4537/work/173517245

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals