Fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases - Consensus of the ECCO 2010

Abstract

Summary

Irritable bowel diseases do not seem to affect fertility when the disease is inactive. It is advisable to strive for clinical remission before conception. Crohn's disease carries the risk of preterm delivery and low birth weight. If conception occurs at a time of quiescent disease, the risk of relapse is the same as in non-pregnant women. If conception occurs at a time of active disease, two-thirds of patients have persistent activity and of these, two-thirds deteriorate during pregnancy. Medical treatment for Crohn's disease (except for methotrexate) can generally continue during pregnancy, because the benefits outweigh the risk of medication. Since metronidazole and ciprofloxacin are excreted into milk, they are usually not considered appropriate during the breastfeeding period.