Research helped Adela give birth to a healthy baby boy.
Adela lives with chronic kidney disease which affected her ability to start a family with her husband Shah. Thanks to research and guidance from Associate Professor Shilpa Jesudason, Adela was able to give birth to a healthy son, Amir.
Now, with support from generous donor community, A/Prof Jesudason can continue to improve the lives and wellbeing of women like Adela wishing to become mothers.
Our supporters have made it possible for A/Prof Jesudason’s to expand her research and develop a national survey of women living with kidney disease to better understand how they want to be supported.
“For many women, being denied a motherhood due to their illness causes immense grief. From previous studies, we know that women with kidney disease face emotional, social and ethical challenges when planning a pregnancy,” A/Prof Jesudason said.
“There is still a considerable uncertainty among women about whether pregnancy is an option during kidney disease, and it appears that women need more information about kidney disease and diabetes.
“By raising awareness and educating women with kidney disease, we can empower them to make informed decisions, and better plan and manage their pregnancies.”
Once receiving the survey results, the next steps for A/Prof Jesudason and her team include analysing the information to set up a database of chronic kidney disease in pregnancy so they can develop educational resources for both patients and doctors.
“The reality is we don’t have all the answers. Women with kidney disease are fighting against the odds to firstly get pregnant, and then to have a successful pregnancy,” A/Prof Jesudason said.
“The generous support from the community means we can continue this fight and support women on their journey to motherhood.”
A/Prof Jesudason has established the only Obstetric-Nephrology Clinical Service available in South Australia and is a leader in parenthood-related care and research for women and men with chronic kidney disease both locally and also nationally.
The national survey results will boost A/Prof Jesudason’s research scope and provide her with rich data that can be used to develop a guide for women wanting to start a family.
“We have helped women like Adela have a successful pregnancy and this data means we can further educate women with appropriate planning, care and management to achieve their dream of parenthood.”
If you would like to donate to incredible research like this that is changing lives, click here: https://bit.ly/2QA9M0e
