It is advisable to control your active ulcerative colitis before you try to conceive. Find out how ulcerative colitis managed during pregnancy and the effects of ulcerative colitis drugs on pregnancy.
Ulcerative colitis is a kind of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the large intestine. Some of the characteristics include open sores and ulcers. You may suffer from diarrhoea along with blood. This is often confused to be an irritable bowel syndrome. Here we shall find out how it can affect you and your unborn child in pregnancy.
Ulcerative colitis should not be a hindrance when you want to start a family. The good news is you can still expect to enjoy a healthy pregnancy, even if you are suffering from ulcerative colitis. However, it is important that you are aware of effects of the illness on your unborn child and discuss all possible risk factors with your doctor.
Drugs for Ulcerative ColitisAnti-secretories like sulphasalazine are used in the management of inflammatory bowel diseases, in ulcerative colitis. Sulphasalazine is effective in the maintenance of remissions and may be used as an adjunct to corticosteroids in the treatment of the acute phase of the disease. Pregnant women should use with caution, only under medical advice.
| Products: | Sulphasalazine |
| For Children: | Not recommended under 2 years |
| For Pregnant Women: | Caution - use only if clearly indicated |
| For Breastfeeding Mothers: | Not recommended |
| Contra-indications*: | Hypersensitivity to sulfas or salicylates |
| Caution: | ------- |
Note* Pregnant women must not take any medicines without consulting a doctor.
How to Improve your Chances of Enjoying a Healthy Pregnancy:
Before you try to conceive it is important that you bring into control your active ulcerative colitis. Otherwise the chances of the symptoms cropping up during pregnancy become very high.
With an active Ulcerative colitis, you may start losing weight, which is absolutely undesirable in pregnancy. You may be also depriving your unborn child of the vital nutrients. Chances of a miscarriage increase in the first trimester if you lose weight. This also increases the chances of you giving birth to a premature or underweight baby.
Make it a point to fix an appointment with your doctor when you feel like planning a baby. Your doctor shall suggest you everything that you need to ensure a healthy pregnancy. You may also have to appoint a dietician so that you can eat a well balanced diet in every stage of your pregnancy.
It is important for you to take prenatal vitamins in pregnancy. When you suffer from Ulcerative colitis, it becomes important to get your iron levels checked from time to time. You may be suggested higher dose of folic acid to reduce chances of birth defects.
Medications during Pregnancy
The chances of birth defects are known to increase with use of two kinds of drugs in Ulcerative colitis. These are thalidomide and methotrexate. Your doctor may thus switch these drugs after 3 months before you try and conceive.
You must not take any steroids in pregnancy. Steroids increase the chances of the baby developing cleft palate during birth.
There are other medicines available that are considered safe during pregnancy. Your doctor shall diagnose your case and suggest the right one to you. Talking to your healthcare provider shall help you know how you can handle flares better during these days.
Your Chances of Delivering a Healthy Baby
With proper care you can expect to deliver a completely healthy baby. You need to keep Ulcerative colitis under control during pregnancy by staying in close touch with your doctor. Your carelessness can lead to complications such as preterm delivery, miscarriage, and low birth weight and so on. Use of medications can increase chances of birth defects as well.
Your pregnancy shall be treated as high risk and you should consult a doctor, who is specialized in treating complicated cases. You must be present for the regular check up sessions with your specialist and doctor.
Effect of Ulcerative Colitis on your Baby:
There is about 2-5% chance of your baby contracting ulcerative colitis from you. The chances increase by 30% when both of you suffer from it.
You must inform your paediatrician about all the drugs you took during pregnancy. Your child's immunity may have not developed well if you had taken biologic drugs in the last 2 trimesters of your pregnancy. In such case your baby cannot take vaccines like rotavirus in the initial 6 months.
How does ulcerative colitis affect pregnancy? How to keep ulcerative colitis under control during pregnancy? What are affects of ulcerative colitis on the unborn baby? Discuss here. 
