Objectives: To evaluate the influence of inflammatory bowel disease on pregnancy and fetal outcome.
Patients and methods: One hundred and fifty pregnancies in 72 women (28 with ulcerative colitis and 44 with Crohn's disease) were compared with those of 150 control subjects.
Results: Among 150 pregnancies, 108 (group I) began before and 42 (group II) at the same time or after the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. In ulcerative colitis patients, age at first pregnancy, mean birth weight and preterm birth rates were not different between groups I and II; rate of underweight offsprings was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in group II than in group I and controls. In Crohn's disease, compared to group I, mean age of first pregnancy was higher (P < 0.0001), mean birth weight was lower (P < 0.005) and preterm birth rate was higher (P = 0.001) than in group II.
Conclusion: These results suggest that both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease induce deleterious effects on pregnancy and fetal outcome.