The effects of pre- and post-pregnancy IBD diagnosis on birth outcomes

Kaisa Raatikainen (1) , Jyrki Mustonen (2) , Markku Olavi Pajala (3) , Markku Heikkinen (4) , Seppo Heinonen (2, 3)

1 Obstetrics and Gynaecology
2 School of Medicine - Itä-Suomen yliopiston apteekki [Kuipo, Finland]
3 Internal Medicine
4 Internal Medicine

SUMMARY Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are frequent in women at their optimum age for reproduction. Possible effects on pregnancy are, therefore, of interest. Aim: To assess pregnancy outcomes in 212 women: 135 of whom were diagnosed with IBD before pregnancy and 77 after pregnancy. Methods: A clinical birth database was examined retrospectively. Odds ratios (ORs) for the main outcomes were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI); these were adjusted for confounding factors. Results: Overall, pregnancy outcomes were good. No increased risk of preterm births or need for neonatal intensive care was observed. However, women with IBD had more growth retarded newborns, at an adjusted OR of 2.12 (1.29-3.50) and the mode of delivery was more frequently Caesarean section, with an OR of 2.74 (1.81-4.13). In the women who were diagnosed with IBD after the pregnancy, we found no difference in the obstetric outcome as compared to the general obstetric population. Conclusions: Most women with IBD have a normal pregnancy outcome and, overall, IBD during pregnancy poses low to moderate risks, the main concern being increased risk of impaired foetal growth. Normal maternal weight gain during pregnancy, possibly indicating a more stable disease, appeared to protect against adverse outcomes.

Mots clés: Medicine

Kaisa Raatikainen, Jyrki Mustonen, Markku Olavi Pajala, Markku Heikkinen, Seppo Heinonen. The effects of pre- and post-pregnancy IBD diagnosis on birth outcomes. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2010, 33 (3), pp.333. ⟨10.1111/j.1365-2036.2010.04538.x⟩. ⟨hal-00599481⟩