Pregnancy Outcomes in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Summary
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), encompassing Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, often strike women during their reproductive years, presenting unique challenges for maternal and foetal health. Active disease at conception or during gestation is linked to an elevated risk of adverse outcomes, including preterm delivery, low birth weight and pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia. Disease flares during pregnancy may necessitate adjustment or continuation of therapy, and balancing maternal remission against potential teratogenic risks of immunosuppressive and biological agents is critical. Most data indicate that maintaining disease control with pregnancy-compatible medications outweighs the risks of untreated inflammation. Long-term follow-up of offspring suggests no significant increase in congenital anomalies or impaired growth when maternal therapy is optimised. Emerging evidence further examines neonatal immune development after in utero exposure to biological therapies, and highlights the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration to support tailored pre-conception counselling, close monitoring and coordinated obstetric and gastroenterological care.
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Pregnancy Outcomes in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in pregnancy outcomes in inflammatory bowel diseases across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): A chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Pre-eclampsia: A pregnancy complication characterised by new-onset hypertension and organ dysfunction, often requiring early delivery.
Preterm Delivery: Birth occurring before 37 completed weeks of gestation, associated with neonatal morbidity.
Apgar Score: A rapid assessment of a newborn’s health at one and five minutes after birth, measuring heart rate, respiration, muscle tone, reflex response and colour.
Anti-TNF-α Agents: Biological therapies that neutralise tumour necrosis factor-α, a cytokine central to inflammatory processes in IBD.
References
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Risk of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes. PLOS ONE (2015).
- Health outcomes of 1000 children born to mothers with inflammatory bowel disease in their first 5 years of life. Gut (2020).
- The Role of TNF-α and Anti-TNF-α Agents during Preconception, Pregnancy, and Breastfeeding. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2021).
- Immunological Changes in Blood of Newborns Exposed to Anti-TNF-α during Pregnancy. Frontiers in Immunology (2017).
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