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Jeff Brody
Litigators Inc.

A new study has found that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in pregnant women doubles the chances of the baby being born prematurely.

The study appeared online in the journal Gut from the British Medical Journal. It was led by Dr. Paris Tekkis from St. Mary's Hospital. It looked at nearly 4,000 women and found that those with IBD were also more than twice as likely to have a child born with low birth weight.

Study Results

Women with IBD were also about one and a half times more likely to need a Caesarean section than healthy women, especially if they had Crohn's Disease.

Premature birth and low birth weight are two factors commonly associated with cerebral palsy.

The study also suggested that women who become pregnant while they have IBD, the risk of complications could be even higher.

The study looked at the results of 12 other studies that have been published over the last 20 years. Of these women, 63 percent had Crohn's disease, and 36 percent had ulcerative colitis.

Tekkis said, “The study has shown a higher incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes in patients with IBD.

“Further studies are required to clarify which women are at higher risk, as this was not determined in the present study.

“This has an effect on the management of patients with IBD during pregnancy, who should be treated as a potentially high-risk group.”