IBD Pregnancy and Fertility

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disorder affecting young adults in the reproductive years. It is common for both female and male patients with IBD to ask questions about IBD’s effect on their relationships, sexual and reproductive function, in particular fertility, the outcome of pregnancy and its possible effects on the disease. 

Women who wish to become pregnant may be concerned about how their inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) will impact pregnancy, as well as how pregnancy will affect their condition. Having IBD does not necessarily affect the ability to have children. With the careful supervision of both a gastroenterologist and obstetrician, most women with IBD can have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Your healthcare team at Cedars‑Sinai is comprised of nationally and internationally recognized IBD specialists and OB-GYN physicians who specialize in higher-risk pregnancies. This is one of only a few such integrated IBD practices in the world and one that focuses on respect for each patient’s existing relationship with their regular gastroenterologist and obstetrician, who will continue to serve as the patient’s main care providers. 

Together, we will explore strategies to manage IBD and improve nutrition to achieve better health before a pregnancy. We will also ensure the safe use of IBD medications before and during pregnancy while focusing on contingency plans for flares that might occur during pregnancy. While working with you and your obstetrician, our team will present options for a safe delivery and provide postpartum planning to include breastfeeding support and coordination with the baby’s pediatrician.

The best time for a woman with IBD to become pregnant is when her IBD is in remission for at least 3‑6 months and she is off steroids. It is also not advised that a woman become pregnant when starting a new medication.  

Having active disease during pregnancy can increase the risk of having a baby born prematurely or with a low birth weight. To maintain a state of remission and prevent IBD flares during pregnancy, it is important to continue taking prescribed medications. Many IBD medications have been shown to cause minimal risk to the pregnancy. Women with IBD usually have healthy pregnancies and infants. However, they are more likely to have a complication of pregnancy (such as miscarriage, premature delivery, or complications of labor/delivery) than women without IBD, even if their disease is in remission. Therefore, all women with IBD, especially those who are undergoing fertility treatment, should be followed as high‑risk obstetric patients.