• You can choose where you give birth. 

• Your pregnancy care team (antenatal team) will explain the pros and cons of different settings. 

• Your pregnancy doctor (obstetrician) may advise you to give birth in hospital if your kidneys don’t work well. 

• They might also advise this if you have high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia or have had other pregnancy problems. 

• Your midwife or obstetrician will monitor your baby during your labour. 

• They may offer extra monitoring for your baby’s heart. 

• Some but not all women with ADPKD have surgery (a caesarean) to deliver the baby. 

• Your midwife or obstetrician will explain different types of pain relief for labour and birth. 

• If your kidneys don’t work well, some pain killers might not be suitable for you, or you may need a lower dose.  

• You should have a check-up with your kidney specialist within 6 months of giving birth. 

You can choose where you give birth. This could be at home, at a birth centre led by midwives, or in the hospital. For more information on these options, see the Tommy’s website. Tommy's are a charity that provide information and support around pregnancy.  

Your antenatal team will explain the pros and cons of different settings. This depends partly on how your pregnancy has gone and any previous births you’ve had. 

Your pregnancy doctor (obstetrician) may advise you to give birth in hospital if your kidneys don’t work well. They might also advise this if you have high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia or have had other pregnancy problems. 

Hospitals are best equipped to monitor you and your baby closely. They can quickly give you any extra care needed.  

Your antenatal team should respect your choices for the birth. 

Your midwife or obstetrician will monitor your baby during your labour. They may offer extra monitoring for your baby’s heart. This is called continuous cardiotocography (CTG).  

CTG allows midwives and doctors to see your baby’s heart rate. If there are any signs of problems, they can give you and your baby the care you need right away.  

Your obstetrician will talk you through options for your baby’s delivery.  

The two options are: 

• giving birth through your vagina  

• having surgery (a caesarean or ‘C-section’)  

You can learn about types of delivery on the Tommy’s website.  

Your obstetrician will explain the pros and cons of each option. 

If you’ve had some problems during pregnancy, your obstetrician might recommend you give birth early. This could be 1 or 2 weeks before your due date, for example.  

If you have the baby early options are: 

• a caesarean 

• using medicines or devices to start your labour (induction) 

Some but not all women with ADPKD have a caesarean.  

If you or a close relative have had a brain aneurysm, your obstetrician might recommend a caesarean.  

Your midwife or obstetrician will explain different types of pain relief for labour and birth. They’ll offer all options unless there’s a reason some wouldn’t be suitable. 

You can choose to give birth without medicines for pain relief if you prefer.  

Options for pain relief include: 

• a machine that uses a small electric current to reduce pain, called a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine 

• injections of strong pain killers (pethidine and diamorphine) 

• breathing a mix of nitrous oxide gas and air (Entonox®) 

• an injection of numbing medicine (anaesthetic) into your spine, which is called an epidural 

If your kidneys don’t work well, some pain killers might not be suitable for you, or you may need a lower dose.  

Using a birthing ball or giving birth in water might help to ease pain a little.  

Ask your doctor which pain killers you can use after the birth. 

• Don’t take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as ibuprofen (Nurofen®) or diclofenac (Voltarol®) unless your doctor says this is okay. These medicines can harm your kidneys.  

• You can use paracetamol even if you’re breastfeeding. 

• Don’t take codeine if you’re breastfeeding.  

If you want to breastfeed, check with your GP or kidney doctor that this is safe with any medicines you take. If any medicines would be a problem, you might be able to change them.

Unless you have had pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT) or chorionic villus sampling, you won’t know whether your baby has ADPKD before they’re born. We explain these tests on our webpage on planning a pregnancy. 

It’s uncommon for signs of ADPKD to show up on scans during pregnancy. Most children with ADPKD don’t have symptoms until they’re older. 

Children can be tested for ADPKD if either parent has the condition. 

The two types of test are: 

• a kidney scan 

• a genetic test to look for a gene causing ADPKD  

You can find out about these tests on our webpage Symptoms of ADPKD and tests in children. 

You should have a check-up with your kidney specialist within 6 months of giving birth.  

They’ll check your kidney function and blood pressure. They’ll suggest changes to any blood pressure medications you take, if needed, to control your blood pressure better.   

For information, practical advice and emotional support from people with experience of ADPKD, ring our confidential PKD Helpline 0300 111 1234. We’re open 9:30am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays. 

You can connect with other people with ADPKD via our Facebook group or PKD support groups. 

The charities Tommy’s and the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) also offer advice on pregnancy, birth, miscarriage, caring for babies and more.  

A private doula can also provide practical advice and emotional support. Doulas are not medically trained but have experience of how to help people through pregnancy, birth and afterwards. Find out more on the Tommy’s website. 

Having ADPKD won’t stop you being a good parent.  

You might need more support with childcare if you’re unwell or having treatment.   

Ask your kidney doctor to explain how your ADPKD may affect your health as you get older. 

Chat with your partner, family and friends about any worries. Having their support and putting plans in place can be reassuring.  

You may find it helpful to talk to other parents with ADPKD. You can connect with them through our Facebook group or support groups.

• Planning for pregnancy if you have ADPKD 

• Being pregnant with ADPKD 

• Genetic testing and counselling in ADPKD 

• Progression (reducing kidney function) 

• High blood pressure 

• Symptoms of ADPKD and tests in childrenhttps://pkdcharity.org.uk/adpkd/children-and-adkpd/symptoms-and-testing-in-children 

• https://pkdcharity.org.uk/support/supportSupport 

• Tommy’s (a pregnancy and baby charity) has lots of information on giving birth. 

• The National Childbirth Trust has information on labour and birth and caring for your baby. 

• The NHS website has information on birth.