If you have Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and are thinking of having a baby, you may be concerned about how your condition might affect your pregnancy. This series of articles answers some of the most commonly asked questions about pregnancy and IBD.
What about nutritional therapy?
Some people with Crohn’s use an elemental or polymeric diet (the two main types of liquid feed) as part of their treatment. Both of these diets may be safely used during pregnancy to treat a flare up of disease or as a nutritional supplement. See our booklet Food and IBD for more information on nutritional treatment.
What investigations or tests can I have during pregnancy?
As someone with UC or Crohn’s Disease, you may need to have an investigation or test to check on your IBD, especially if you have a flare-up. Make sure your doctor and IBD team know you are, or may be, pregnant. Some types of investigation may need to be delayed until after you have the baby.
MRI and ultrasound tests are safe to have while pregnant. Sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy are also usually considered safe in pregnancy, although guidelines suggest that these types of tests should only be carried out when they are clearly necessary.
Investigations which involve x-rays and radiation should normally be avoided by pregnant women unless absolutely essential. This includes CT scans, PET scans, and barium X-ray tests.
What about surgery while I am pregnant?
Surgery for IBD is unlikely to be suggested while you are pregnant - unless it is felt that it would be riskier not to have the surgery. Studies have suggested that if you do have IBD surgery when pregnant, the risk is lowest if the surgery is carried out during the middle trimester (months 4-6) or if this is not possible, towards the end of the pregnancy.
In part 4 - How to increase the likelihood of having a healthy baby
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