Managing IBD therapy during pregnancy demands a multidisciplinary approach

Abstract

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are both chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). This article summarizes current best practice in treating pregnant patients with IBD, ranging from conservative therapy to endoscopy and imaging methods, including a description of surgical therapy indications. Female patients with IBD should ideally plan their pregnancies for when their disease is in remission. Patients in remission may also have complications during pregnancy, however the risk of complications is lower than in patients with active disease. Any chronic medications they were on before becoming pregnant (with the exception of teratogenic methotrexate) should remain unchanged. According to the current literature, pregnancy does not itself complicate the course of IBD. In cases of a severe relapse or an occurrence of complications in these patients, careful multidisciplinary cooperation is required, especially between the gastroenterologist, surgeon, radiologist, and gynaecologist. Surgical treatment is required only in cases of acute complications of IBD (such as acute severe colitis resistant to medical therapy, perianal abscess, and complications of IBD in the sense of such acute abdomen events as perforations, ileus due to a stenosis, or massive haemorrhage).