Medical and Surgical Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Pregnancy

Inflammatory bowel disease is a relatively common spectrum of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract in women of the reproductive age group. Although Crohn's disease may decrease fertility, female reproductive ability is normal in UC. In general, IBD is not a contraindication to pregnancy or vaginal delivery and is not an indication for therapeutic abortion. Pregnancy will have a variable effect on IBD, and the patient's experience in previous pregnancies is not prognostic of future pregnancies. Whenever possible, pregnancies should be planned when IBD is quiescent and the patient is on a minimal drug regimen. The treatment of IBD is essentially the same regardless of pregnancy. Aggressive medical management with supportive therapy, corticosteroids, and sulfasalazine is effective in the treatment for this disorder. Sulfasalazine is effective in preventing recurrence of UC. Surgical treatment may be necessary in pregnancy. An enlarged uterus may make recognition of acute complications difficult, and fear of radiation may decrease the number of diagnostic x-ray studies performed. A proctocolectomy and ileostomy is curative for UC, but no procedure will cure Crohn's disease. In pregnancy, a limited surgical procedure may be necessary. There is a high incidence of fetal loss if surgery is required in IBD. This fetal loss is probably caused by the fulminant nature of the disease rather than surgery itself. If surgery is indicated, however, it should be performed for maternal indications despite the risk to the fetus. As can be seen, management of IBD in pregnancy is not to be taken lightly and requires extensive collaboration between obstetrician, gastroenterologist, surgeon, and other support personnel.