Women with UC or inactive CD do not seem to have related fertility problems, but women with active CD or women with UC who have had an IPAA do experience more problems with fertility. Women who have inactive disease at the time of conception are no more likely to have a flare of their disease during pregnancy than if they were not pregnant. Flares are more likely to occur in the first trimester and right after the baby is born.
Pregnancy and delivery can be relatively normal in women with IBD. Even so, women with IBD should discuss their illness with their health care providers before pregnancy. Most medications used for IBD are safe or likely safe in pregnancy. Surgery, if necessary, is safest in the second trimester. Pre-term birth or early delivery has been reported to be increased 2 to 3-fold in women with IBD, although most children born to women with IBD are unaffected.
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