For women living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), planning a family can sometimes bring added anxiety—especially concerning how the disease or past surgeries might affect fertility. However, a landmark prospective study brings reassuring news for prospective parents.
Recent research presented at the American College of Gastroenterology evaluated women with IBD who underwent fertility treatments, revealing high success rates and dispelling long-held fears about disease flare-ups impacting treatment outcomes.
Key Findings from the Study
High Overall Success: 73% of women with IBD who underwent fertility treatments achieved a successful pregnancy.
Embryo Transfer vs. IUI: Success was dramatically higher with Embryo Transfer (ET) at 85%, compared to 38% with Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) alone.
Surgery Is Not a Barrier: Prior IBD-related pelvic surgery did not prevent treatment success. In fact, all women in the study who had previous pelvic surgery and underwent embryo transfer became pregnant.
Active Disease Impact: Remarkably, active IBD symptoms during treatment were not associated with lower pregnancy success rates.
What This Means for Patients
Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)—particularly IVF and embryo transfer—is a highly viable and effective path to parenthood for women with IBD. Rather than waiting indefinitely for complete disease remission, families can work alongside both their gastroenterologist and fertility specialist to safely plan for pregnancy.
Source: Medscape / American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting
