Inflammatory bowel disease in pregnancy

While the incidence of ulcerative colitis has remained stable, the incidence of Crohn disease has increased over the past few decades [1]. It is not clear whether this is due to improved diagnostic techniques, an increase in smoking habits by young female patients [patients with CD tend to be smokers compared to people without CD [2]] or other factors not yet identified. However, the consequence of this trend is a growing population of patients in their child-bearing years. Having intercourse, age of sexual debut, and pregnancy rates does not differ among adolescents with and without disability based on a study by Suris et al [3]. Disability, defined "as a long-term reduction in ability to conduct social role activities, such as school or play, because of a chronic physical or mental condition [4]" does not interfere with sexuality of an adolescent [5]. Thus, adolescent patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be sexually active and are at risk for pregnancy. This chapter will review how pregnancy affects the adolescent with IBD both in terms of disease and management options, and how inflammatory bowel disease and its therapies may affect a pregnancy. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved.