Caring for women with inflammatory bowel disease

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic inflammatory conditions involving the gastrointestinal tract. Although many aspects of the management of these diseases are identical for all patients, some issues that are specific to women are not necessarily part of routine care. Gender-specific issues such as menses, fertility, pregnancy, and menopause are often overlooked and mismanaged. Women and men also have different psychological concerns arising from the disease. Health care providers, regardless of their primary focus, should be aware of these differences and should be familiar with certain general information on gender-specific issues, reviewed in this article.