Copyright
©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 7, 2008; 14(9): 1326-1332
Published online Mar 7, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.1326
Published online Mar 7, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.1326
Management of inflammatory bowel disease in the pregnant patient
Flavio M Habal, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastro-enterology, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital Site, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada
Nikila C Ravindran, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Author contributions: Habal FM and Ravindran NC contributed equally to this work.
Correspondence to: Flavio M Habal, MD, PhD, FRCP(C), Toronto General Hospital, 9 North-976, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada. flavio.habal@uhn.on.ca
Telephone: +1-416-3404800-5023
Fax: +1-416-5955251
Received: September 26, 2007
Revised: December 24, 2007
Published online: March 7, 2008
Revised: December 24, 2007
Published online: March 7, 2008
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disorder affecting young adults in their reproductive years. Many young women with IBD express concern about the effect their disease will have on fertility, pregnancy course and fetal development. This article presents an approach to management of IBD in the pregnant patient, including counseling and investigation, and summarizes existing data on the safety of medications used to treat IBD in pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Keywords: Inflammatory bowel disease; Ulcerative colitis; Crohn’s disease; Fertility; Pregnancy; Breastfeeding