MOST WOMEN WITH IBD DO NOT HAVE PROBLEMS WITH INFERTILITY

Most women with both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis can get pregnant just as easily as women who don't have IBD according to 11 different studies. But they are 2-3 times more likely to remain childless—and that seems to be because they worry about

• How their IBD and medicines will affect the baby
• How a pregnancy will affect their IBD
• Their children developing IBD

But truly, only those who have had surgery, and particularly those who have had pouch procedures, have more problems with infertility—and even then, in vitro fertilization works just as well for women with IBD and the general population of women. 

Best Approach   

What works best is to talk with your gastroenterologist and an obstetrician (an OB) about your desire to get pregnant and any fears you might have.  That discussion is particularly important in order to keep your IBD under control, to keep you on the best medicines for you while you are pregnant, to make sure you take the proper vitamins and that you can provide the best environment for your growing baby inside your body.