Pregnancy Archives - IBD Clinic

Pregnancy IBD Decision Aid helps women with IBD make decisions regarding pregnancy

Canadian and Australian gastroenterologists, obstetricians, and nurses, along with patient partners, developed and validated the Pregnancy IBD Decision AID (PIDA) the first personalized online decision support program for IBD. Making decisions regarding family planning can be challenging especially for people living with chronic illnesses, such as IBD. Uncertainty regarding how…

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Pregnancy | Postpartum | Breastfeeding

Breast Milk and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

WHAT ARE THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN NUTRITION, GUT HEALTH AND BREAST MILK COMPOSITION? HELP US FIND OUT MORE! About Breast Milk Breast milk has many nutrients and immune factors that are important for the baby’s health and growth. These include lipids, proteins/peptides, growth factors, antibodies, and Human Milk Oligosaccharides. in this…

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Tests and investigations | Pregnancy | IBD disease activity

Why does my GI doctor ask me to do the fecal calprotectin stool test?

Fecal calprotectin (FCP) is a stool tests that measures the amount of inflammation in the GI tract by measuring the amount of an inflammatory protein called calprotectin. The higher the FCP, the more inflammation in the GI tract. Pregnancy does not cause a high FCP. Therefore if your FCP is…

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Pregnancy | Medication

I am on a biologic, can I continue it in pregnancy?

There are several classes of biologics used to treat IBD. Anti-TNF, anti-IL-12/23, anti-integrins. These are all monoclonal antibodies that cross the placenta in the 2nd half of pregnancy. Previously, before the safety of these medications was understood physicians would administer the last dose of biologics before the third trimester,…

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Pregnancy | IBD disease activity

IBD disease activity and Pregnancy

Most women with IBD can have healthy pregnancies. IBD can be associated with a slight increased risk of preterm delivery (born before 37 weeks)small for gestational age infantspregnancy loss (miscarriages or spontaneous abortion) These risks are increased even more in women who have active IBD. Women who…

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Pregnancy | Mental Health

Mental Health Among Individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Disease During Pregnancy

Have you ever wondered about the relationship between IBD, mood and stress? How about its effect during pregnancy? If you have IBD and are pregnant, we want to hear from you! The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between mental health, IBD and pregnancy. We are…

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Research | Prepregnancy | Pregnancy | IBD disease activity

Urine and Serum Metabolomics can predict IBD disease activity in pregnancy

Researchers at The University of Alberta and Mount Sinai Hospital and The University of Toronto have shown in a pilot study that urine and serum metabolomics (measurement of small molecules that reflect the state of cells or tissues) can predict active IBD in pregnancy. Predicting IBD disease activity in pregnancy…

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Novel Insight into the Immune System during pregnancy for those living with IBD

Researchers from the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta provide insight into the interaction between inflammatory bowel disease and pregnancy. Cytokines are immune response molecules that are released when inflammation is present within the body. In a research study following 11 healthy pregnant women and 76 pregnant women…

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Prepregnancy | Pregnancy | Postpartum | Medication

IBD Medications and Pregnancy

Most IBD medications are safe for use while trying to conceive and to continue during pregnancy but certain medications may need to be adjusted. Please read below for a summary of IBD medications. Aminosalicylates: Most formulations of 5-ASA are considered safe to continue into pregnancy1,2 Studies have found no significant association…

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Pregnancy | Postpartum | Delivery method

IBD and delivery method

In general, having IBD does not affect delivery method. The decision about delivery method for an IBD patient should be made on an individual basis by the patient and her obstetric provide. The decision should be based on obstetrical reasons, while also considering the patient’s IBD condition. While some studies…

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