In this metro.co.uk article, four women talk about what pregnancy has been like while suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Certain drug therapies for pregnant women with IBD can have an impact on newborns. Find out more.
Nineteen-year-old Shannon Deane from Plymouth, U.K. has ulcerative colitis. Being pregnant with IBD was fine until the birth of her son. Although not related to ulcerative colitis, her son had symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) and needed to be induced at 38 weeks. Thankfully, her 15-month-old son is fine and Shannon explains that looking after a toddler means that she needs to be as healthy as possible, so at the first sign of a flare she sees her doctor.
Twenty-five-year-old Annie Richards from Devon, U.K., explains that her Crohn’s disease had caused her to be seriously underweight and as a result, her periods stopped. However, when she was 18 she became pregnant with her son. Among the many common soon-to-be mother fears, Annie was worried she would pass her Crohn’s disease on to her child. While there were some concerns about how the baby was growing, for the most part, her pregnancy was without incident. Her son, Cory, was born by emergency caesarean after becoming distressed. There is no sign of IBD yet, though Cory was diagnosed with celiac disease.
Read about six inflammatory bowel disease treatments options here.
During Annie’s pregnancy, her Crohn’s symptoms were kept at bay but returned after the birth when she needed to take steroids to keep her flares under control.
Twenty-year-old Leah Jade Price from Greater Manchester, U.K., is currently 23 weeks pregnant and suffers from Crohn’s disease. She explains that although she suffered from migraines and morning sickness for the first 18 weeks, her Crohn’s symptoms have not affected her during the pregnancy thus far.
Twenty-four-year-old Sarah Astley from Nottingham, U.K., was overjoyed when she became pregnant as she thought her colon operations and colostomy bag would prevent her from conceiving. Sarah is currently 31 weeks pregnant and was advised by her doctors to continue taking the medication infliximab until she reached 30 weeks. Sadly for Sarah, the pregnancy has been troublesome with regular flare-ups and several hospitalizations. She’s been told that she’ll need to take steroids for the rest of her pregnancy and she’s concerned about how they’ll affect the baby. Read more about this story here.
Should biological therapies be used as treatments for pregnant women with IBD?
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