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Background The postpartum period is marked by physiological and psychological stresses that may impact activity in inflammatory bowel disease. The predictors and outcomes of disease activity during this period have not been well characterized. Methods We performed a retrospective review of inflammatory bowel disease patients who underwent successful pregnancy and live birth at 2 referral institutions. Data on patient and disease factors including disease activity before and during pregnancy were abstracted from the medical records. We noted whether therapy was dose-reduced or stopped during pregnancy at each trimester and after delivery. Multivariable logistic regression of independent predictors of postpartum flare was performed, adjusting for relevant covariates. Results We identified a total of 206 eligible women (mean age, 33.2 years). Of these, 97 (47%) had a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, whereas the remainder had ulcerative colitis. Nearly half the women delivered vaginally (53%), and the rest delivered by Caesarean section (47%). In the entire cohort, 65 (31.6%) experienced a postpartum flare within the year after delivery. In multivariable analysis, development of a postpartum flare was predicted by disease activity during the third trimester (odds ratio [OR], 6.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.81–17.27), therapy de-escalation during pregnancy (OR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.03–8.68), and therapy de-escalation after pregnancy (OR, 4.43; 95% CI, 1.55–12.65). Postpartum disease flare was not related to disease type, duration of disease, or mode of childbirth. Conclusions One-third of women with inflammatory bowel disease may experience disease flare during the postpartum year. Continued optimization of therapy before, during, and after pregnancy is essential to prevent this morbidity.

Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently affects women during their reproductive years. Although the impact of pregnancy in patients with established IBD has been widely studied, the characteristics and outcomes of patients who develop a new diagnosis of IBD during pregnancy or the postpartum year (“pregnancy-onset”) is not well characterized. Methods We identified all patients with pregnancy-onset IBD between 2006 and 2018 at 2 major academic referral centers. Patient and disease characteristics were abstracted and compared to those of control patients with IBD not diagnosed during pregnancy or postpartum. Diagnostic and therapeutic interventions were noted, as were long-term outcomes including disease treatment course, hospitalizations, and surgery. Results We identified 50 patients with pregnancy-onset IBD and 100 control patients matched for year of diagnosis. The mean age of diagnosis and duration of follow-up was similar among both patients and control patients (aged 30.4 vs 28.5 years). Among patients with pregnancy-onset disease, 30% noted symptom onset in the first trimester, 22% in the second, 24% in the third, and 24% in the postpartum year. Patients with pregnancy-onset IBD were more likely to be diagnosed with ulcerative colitis compared with control patients (76% vs 56%; P = 0.02). On multivariable analysis, pregnancy onset-disease had a 4-fold increase in the risk of hospitalization (28% vs 13%; adjusted odds ratio 4.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.26-13.91). This increased risk persisted even after excluding any index hospitalizations during pregnancy. Conclusions Patients with pregnancy-onset IBD more commonly develop ulcerative colitis and have a higher risk of disease-related hospitalizations.

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