IBD patients generally have good perinatal outcomes. (Higher C-Section Rate).

SAN FRANCISCO -- Pregnant women with inflammatory bowel disease were more likely to have a cesarean section than those without the disease, but perinatal outcomes were similar between groups in a retrospective chart review.

In a study of women with singleton pregnancies delivered at Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York, between 1986 and 2001, investigators compared data on 116 women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and 56,398 control subjects without the disease. The pregnancies studied were the most recent for each patient.

The IBD patients were more likely to have had a C-section than were controls (32% vs. 22%), Dr. Shefali Patel said during the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

The higher C-section rate was due to an increase in elective C-sections in the IBD patients, according to an analysis that controlled for race, insurance status, maternal age, smoking status, and induction of labor.

There were no differences between groups in postpartum or neonatal complications, and no differences in antepartum hyperemesis, preterm labor, or preeclampsia. Maternal weight gain, obesity, hypertension, and alcohol use did not differ between groups.

"Overall, our study documents good perinatal outcomes for patients with IBD," said Dr. Patel of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.

The peak incidence of IBD overlaps with a woman's reproductive years, but few data exist on the course and management of IBD in pregnancy. Some studies have suggested an increased risk for preterm deliveries, low ...