Factors associated with pregnancy-related knowledge in women of reproductive age with inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) usually develops at a young age, and many women experience marriage, pregnancy, and delivery during the disease course. We aimed to evaluate the pregnancy-related knowledge of women with IBD in Korea and investigate the associated factors.

A total of 270 women with IBD, aged 19-45 years, from four tertiary hospitals in Korea were administered a questionnaire comprising 17 questions from the validated Crohn's and Colitis Pregnancy Knowledge Score (CCPKnow) that were translated into Korean.

The average CCPKnow score of the 270 patients was 7.47 ± 3.07; and most of the patients (51.5%) exhibited a poor knowledge level. Younger age at diagnosis, Crohn's disease rather than ulcerative colitis, longer disease duration, anti-TNF-α medication history, higher household income, and delivery after diagnosis were associated with an appropriate level of pregnancy-related knowledge. Younger age at diagnosis (odds ratio [OR], 1.87; p = .036), anti-TNF-α therapy (OR, 1.87; p = .047), and delivery while suffering from IBD (OR, 3.07; p = .002) were independent factors affecting the pregnancy-related knowledge level. Approximately 69.6% of patients acquired related knowledge from their gastroenterology doctor, whereas 19.4% of patients intended to remain childless.

To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the pregnancy-related knowledge of women of reproductive-age with IBD and their perceptions by using a questionnaire in Asia. As more than half of the patients showed a poor knowledge level of IBD, a general education program should be conducted by gastroenterology doctors.