Pregnancy and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Jan 6, 2014 | Kanaaz Pereira, Connect Moderator | @kanaazpereira

When Sunanda Kane, M.D., sees female patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), she is frequently asked how these conditions may affect pregnancy or the ability to get pregnant. A recent study also investigated this issue and found that there was no decrease in fertility in women with IBD who have not undergone significant abdominal or pelvic surgery.

The study, which was published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, conducted a systematic review of fertility in patients with IBD and found that:

There is no decrease in fertility rates in women who have IBD and have not had significant abdominal surgery.
Women who have had surgical procedures for Crohn's disease, as long as it did not remove the entire colon, had no decrease in fertility
However, women with ulcerative colitis who have undergone a j-pouch (Ileoanal anastomosis) procedure are at an increased risk for infertility.

Full text for the article can be viewed here.

For more information on IBD, visit: mayoclinic.org/ibd

Dr. Kane is a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic