Purpose: To evaluate the occurrence of pregnancy after bone marrow tra
nsplantation (BMT). Design: Medline literature review of reported preg
nancies in the BMT population published in the English language. Resul
ts: Multiple case reports and a few series studies showed more than 25
0 offspring from BMT recipients. Conclusion: BMT patients receive high
-dose chemotherapy and often radiation, as well. These agents are asso
ciated with gonadal dysfunction and the fertility of patients after BM
T is of concern because BMT patients are often young people who wish t
o resume a normal quality of life, which for many patients involves th
e desire to have children. Our experience with the successful pregnanc
y of one of our BMT patients led to the investigation of reported case
s that showed numerous other births. The issue of counseling BMT patie
nts about fertility, pregnancy complications, and potential birth defe
cts is becoming increasingly complex and warrants further investigatio
n.