The Preconception and Pregnancy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease consultation and research clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON is now OPEN.

The clinic is open for referral of female patients with IBD who are considering pregnancy, or who are pregnant. This is a concurrent care clinic, meaning patients who have gastroenterologists continue to follow them, and the model of care is personalized to the patient and their health care team.

NEWS: We offer Virtual Consults and for patients who live > 100km from Mount Sinai Hospital, we offer enrolment into the PACE (Promoting Access to Centres of Excellence) program.

Why do we have a specialized clinic?

Women with chronic illnesses, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), often have difficulties making decisions regarding family planning and pregnancy, due to many concerns and questions regarding the potential impact of the IBD or IBD therapies on their pregnancy and future children.

The purpose of this clinic is to provide a consultation service to address patient and physician concerns regarding reproduction in IBD, as well as to research the interactions of IBD and pregnancy, and find better ways to optimize the management of IBD during this important time of a person’s life.

What does the clinic offer?

This specialized clinic will provide the following services:

  • personalized and tailored patient education regarding IBD and IBD therapies on fertility, pregnancy, and breastfeeding
  • detailed close clinical IBD monitoring and recommended management of IBD during pre-conception, pregnancy, peri-partum, and post-partum time periods
  • liaison and assistance with referrals with high risk obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine
  • access to IBD resources (e.g. patient support groups, dietician referrals)
  • remote clinical monitoring (e.g. TELEhealth visits)
  • opportunities to participate in clinical research (e.g. Preconception and Pregnancy IBD cohort) with various research studies including surveys, monitoring, education development

How do you make a referral?

For physicians who wish to make a referral, please complete the referral form and fax to Dr Vivian Huang at the below fax number.

SUGGESTED GUIDELINE

Dr Huang recommends the following guidelines as resources for managing IBD and the IBD medications in the pregnancy and peripartum time period.

The Toronto Consensus Statements for the Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Pregnancy.  Gastroenterology. 2016 Mar;150(3):734-757.e1.  Nguyen GC, Seow CH, Maxwell C, Huang V, Leung Y, Jones J, Leontiadis GI, Tse F, Mahadevan U, van der Woude CJ; IBD in Pregnancy Consensus Group; Canadian Association of Gastroenterology.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Pregnancy Clinical Care Pathway: A Report From the American Gastroenterological Association IBD Parenthood Project Working Group. Gastroenterology. 2019 Apr;156(5):P1508-1524. Mahadevan U, Robinson C, Bernasko N, Boland B, Chambers C, Dubinsky M, Friedman S, KAne S, Manthey J, Sauberan J, Stone J, Jain R.