Can IBD be transmitted to the baby?
Current research suggests that the chance of passing the disease onto your offspring is low. If one parent has Crohn’s disease, then the chances of disease transmission is only about 7 percent. If one parent has ulcerative colitis, the chances are even less. The risk of IBD being passed on to a baby is increased if both parents have the disease. Will my IBD affect my pregnancy? Establishing and maintaining remission prior to conception will help the pregnancy proceed smoothly. Some research shows that women with IBD who are in remission are no more likely to experience spontaneous abortion or stillbirth, or to have children with congenital abnormalities than women without IBD. Women with Crohn’s disease do appear to be more at risk for low birth weight infants. Miscarriage is more frequent in women with active disease than in the general population (about a third of conceptions). Will the symptoms of IBD get worse during pregnancy? The scientific community is still out on this one. The
