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Bowels and Babies
The Effects of Chronic Bowel Disease on Pregnancy
By Jennifer Lacey
Crohn's disease often is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms of Crohn's are similar to IBS and ulcerative colitis. Crohn's disease, unlike ulcerative colitis, can be hereditary. According to the Bethesda, Md.-based National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), 20 percent of people diagnosed with Crohn's disease have a blood relative with some form of IBD.
IBS affects the bowel (also known as the large intestine), and it causes cramping, diarrhea, constipation or a combination of both. What should be understood about IBS is that it is not categorized as a disease. Unlike inflammatory bowel disease, many doctors describe IBS as a function disorder, since it does not inflict any damage on the bowel upon an internal examination.
IBS can be quite painful for some women and, for others, just a slight annoyance. Common causes of IBS are stress and/or intake of certain foods that can cause diarrhea and/or constipation, such as chocolate, alcohol, caffeine and carbonated drinks. Women who suffer from IBS tend to experience more symptoms during a menstrual cycle.
The fertility rates for women with IBD or IBS are the same as those for healthy women. When a woman with IBD conceives a baby, most doctors believe the state of her condition at the time of conception is usually what will remain during the course of her pregnancy. Most obstetricians and gynecologists agree pregnancy does not increase the risk of a new attack of IBD.
"If the disease is quiet in early pregnancy, it is likely to remain so," says Dr. Michael G. Pinette, diector of maternal fetal medicine at Maine Medical Center.
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