3 Cases of Pregnancies in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Lee, Ki Joo; Moon, Jeong Bin; Han, Soo Yeon; Kim, Mi Ha; Kee, Sook Hyeun; Park, Joong Shin; Jun, Jong Kwan; Yoon, Bo Hyun; Syn, Hee Chul

Abstract

Far Eastern countries including Korea show the high prevalence of hepatitis B virus carriers, so that the incidence of liver cirrhosis is higher than in western countries. But pregnancies with liver cirrhosis are rarely encountered in clinical settings, since liver cirrhosis usually develops after childbearing ages and often causes the disturbance of estrogen metabolism, resulting in severe menstrual irregularity and infertility. Therefore, little is known about the interactions between liver cirrhosis and pregnancy. Liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension are not contraindications to pregnancy but necessitate intensive monitoring throughout pregnancy because the complications of liver cirrhosis, which pose additional risks during pregnancy, are numerous and unpredictable. We report 3 cases of pregnancies in patients with liver cirrhosis with brief review of the literature.