{"id":775,"date":"2026-01-27T12:33:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T12:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/?p=775"},"modified":"2026-04-08T22:46:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T22:46:49","slug":"new-global-guidelines-for-pregnant-women-with-ibd-are-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/new-global-guidelines-for-pregnant-women-with-ibd-are-here\/","title":{"rendered":"New Global Guidelines for Pregnant Women With IBD Are Here"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Clear advice on how best to manage pregnancy and Crohn\u2019s disease or ulcerative colitis aims to clear up confusion on which meds are safe for expectant moms.<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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For women with\u00a0inflammatory bowel disease<\/a>\u00a0(IBD), including\u00a0Crohn\u2019s disease<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0ulcerative colitis<\/a>\u00a0(UC), confusion over potential pregnancy complications is common, says\u00a0Sherry Ross, M.D.<\/a>, a women\u2019s health expert and OB\/GYN at Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has been quite a bit of misinformation and fear around this topic, with some women becoming anxious that they\u2019ll flare during pregnancy or that taking certain medications might be dangerous,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s crucial to understand that women with IBD can have healthy, safe pregnancies with regular monitoring and support from a care team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, expectant IBD moms and their health providers have better guidance than ever. That\u2019s because this past summer an international consortium of Crohn\u2019s and UC specialists, as well as patient advocates, issued 34 recommendations and 35 consensus statements for IBD specialists to follow to help resolve inconsistencies in previous pregnancy guidance\u2014all as part of the\u00a0first unified global guidelines for managing pregnancy in women with IBD<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Addressing Complications<\/div>\n
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Addressing Complications in IBD Pregnancies<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Pregnant women with IBD face many challenges, says\u00a0Kecia Gaither, M.D.<\/a>, an OB\/GYN and director of perinatal services and maternal fetal medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals\/Lincoln in New York City. Risks include pre-term delivery and low birth weight, she notes, since the chances of such outcomes occurring are higher for those with active disease and symptoms.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not all, though. Research published in the\u00a0International Journal of Colorectal Diseases<\/i><\/a>\u00a0looked at the outcomes of pregnancies among women with IBD and found higher incidence of gestational\u00a0diabetes<\/a>, postpartum hemorrhage, and hypertensive complications, along with pre-term delivery and low birth weight babies, compared to pregnancies in women without IBD. The studied cohort also tended to have longer hospital stays after delivery. Additional research in\u00a0Frontline Gastroenterology<\/i><\/a>\u00a0emphasized that while roughly 80% of pregnancies in expectant mothers with IBD were uncomplicated, it was important for both physicians and pregnant patients to be aware of potential health complications, says Dr. Gaither.<\/p>\n

\u201cDisease remission prior to conception and continued effective disease management during pregnancy are crucial to minimizing risks to both mother and fetus,\u201d she explains. \u201cCollaboration among gastroenterologists, maternal fetal medicine specialists, obstetricians and other specialists is advised for optimal care.\u201d Although Dr. Gaither wasn\u2019t involved in the development of the recent guidelines, she believes they\u2019re an important step forward.<\/p>\n

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Real-World Context<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Putting Guidelines in Real-World Context<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

The new guidance is designed to replace the kind of conflicting advice that has long led to uncertainty among both IBD specialists and their pregnant patients, Dr. Gaither notes. Key pieces of advice in the guidelines for physicians\u00a0include recommendations<\/a>\u00a0to:<\/p>\n

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Putting Guidelines in Real-World Context<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

The new guidance is designed to replace the kind of conflicting advice that has long led to uncertainty among both IBD specialists and their pregnant patients, Dr. Gaither notes. Key pieces of advice in the guidelines for physicians\u00a0include recommendations<\/a>\u00a0to:<\/p>\n