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Updated: May 19, 2026
A Murine Model of Fetal Exposure to Maternal Inflammation to Study the Effects of Acute Chorioamnionitis on Newborn Intestinal Development
Published on: June 24, 2020
Complications from inflammatory bowel disease during pregnancy and delivery
Gabriella Bröms1, Fredrik Granath, Marie Linder
1Centre for Pharmacoepidemiology/Unit of Clinical Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. gabriella.broms@ki.se
Background & Aims:
Little is known about complications from ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) during pregnancy and delivery. We assessed complications by using data from a large, population-based cohort.
Methods:
We analyzed data from 1209 women with UC, 787 women with CD, and 10,773 women without these diseases (the comparison group) by using the Medical Birth, Patient, and Prescribed Drug Registers of all residents in Sweden. All the women included in the analysis gave birth to a single infant between October 2006 and December 2009. We used data on medical treatment, surgery, and hospital admissions to assess disease activity. Risks of pregnancy and delivery complications were determined from adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results:
The risk of venous thromboembolism was increased among women with UC (aOR, 3.78; 95% CI, 1.52-9.38), particularly for those with flaring disease. Women with CD had a higher risk of antepartum hemorrhage (aOR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.12-2.45), with the highest risks among those with no disease activity. Risks of elective cesarean delivery were more than doubled among women with UC (aOR, 2.44; 95% CI, 2.06-2.88) or CD (aOR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.89-2.83). Women with UC (aOR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.13-1.70) or CD (aOR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.17-1.92) had increased risk for emergency cesarean delivery. Women with an inactive UC or flaring CD had the highest risks of cesarean delivery.
Conclusions:
Women with UC or CD have more complications during pregnancy and delivery than women without these diseases. Disease activity affects mode of delivery, and thrombophilic events present differently in women with UC vs CD.
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