Pregnancy and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), collectively referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are diagnosed most commonly in patients in their childbearing years.
The incidence of CD in young adults is increasing, whereas the incidence of UC affecting patients in their reproductive years has remained stable. The etiology of IBDs is unknown, but clearly genetic factors and tobacco use have been implicated.
Women routinely express concern about sexual intimacy, self-esteem, marriage, fertility, offspring inheritance of IBD, role of disease activity during pregnancy, safety of medications, and, finally, outcome or general health of the fetus. The most important issues for the patient are education and optimal timing of the pregnancy.
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