Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Pregnancy

Is pregnancy safe for women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?

Women with IBD should talk with their doctors before getting pregnant. If you think you might be pregnant, it is important to call your doctor immediately. Some of the medicines used to treat IBD may harm the growing fetus.

Research shows that it is best for women with IBD to get pregnant while their disease is inactive (in remission). If the baby is conceived at this time, most women with IBD seem to have fairly normal pregnancies. But when a woman gets pregnant while her disease is active, IBD usually stays active or can get worse. Flare-ups usually happen in the first trimester and right after the baby is born.

Limited research shows that some medicines used to treat IBD are safe or likely safe in pregnancy. A few studies have shown that taking prednisone, sulfasalazine, and 5 ASAs during pregnancy does not hurt the developing fetus. But the effects of other medicines on pregnancy have not been well-studied. Surgery, if necessary, is safest in the second trimester.