How to Manage Ulcerative Colitis During Pregnancy
Talk with your doctor., Keep taking approved medications., Avoid medications that can cause birth defects., Continue getting diagnostic screening for ulcerative colitis., Get surgery for toxic megacolon.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Talk with your doctor.
Contact your doctor as soon as you suspect you're pregnant or after you've taken a positive home pregnancy test.
You'll need to discuss your treatment plan with your doctor, who can inform you about how to best manage your ulcerative colitis.If you're planning to conceive, discuss your plans with your health care provider early.
Although ulcerative colitis shouldn't affect your fertility, you should have the condition under control to avoid conceiving during a flare. -
Step 2: Keep taking approved medications.
Most ulcerative colitis medications (like corticosteroids, most 5-ASAs and some immunosuppressant medications) are safe to continue taking even during pregnancy.
It's important to talk to your doctor about your risks for flares during pregnancy.Your goal will be preventing ulcerative colitis flares.
Your doctor might prescribe a medication that you wouldn't normally take, if the doctor thinks this will prevent flares.
Disease flares are associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, which are more common than birth defects or toxicities associated with the medications used to treat UC.
For this reason, you may need to use a potentially harmful medication to prevent poor pregnancy outcomes from the potential flares.
Make sure that you discuss these risks and benefits with your doctor. , Some medications to manage ulcerative colitis should be avoided during pregnancy because they may cause birth defects or harm the fetus.
Avoid taking thalidomide.
Some immunosuppressants, like methotrexate, should also be avoided.Some biologics, antibodies grown to fight the condition, are low risk, but may need to be avoided by the end of your pregnancy.
The biologics adalimumab and infliximab can cross the placenta so they shouldn't be given near the end of your third trimester.
However, in some situations, the potential benefits might outweigh the risks.
Discuss the potential risks and benefits with your doctor. , It can be difficult to keep track of which diagnostic procedures are safe during pregnancy.
In general, you should be able to safely get a colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, upper endoscopy, rectal biopsy, abdominal ultrasound, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) if needed while you're pregnant.Avoid computerized tomography (CT) scans and standard X-rays during pregnancy. , Although most pregnancies won't experience complications from ulcerative colitis, rare complications do happen.
If you are diagnosed with toxic megacolon, severe swelling and inflammation of the colon, your doctor will recommend surgery.
The surgery will remove and repair the colon.Your doctor and surgeon will take into account how far along you are in the pregnancy to determine the specific surgery you'll need.
You may need more surgery several months after delivering the baby. -
Step 3: Avoid medications that can cause birth defects.
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Step 4: Continue getting diagnostic screening for ulcerative colitis.
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Step 5: Get surgery for toxic megacolon.
Detailed Guide
Contact your doctor as soon as you suspect you're pregnant or after you've taken a positive home pregnancy test.
You'll need to discuss your treatment plan with your doctor, who can inform you about how to best manage your ulcerative colitis.If you're planning to conceive, discuss your plans with your health care provider early.
Although ulcerative colitis shouldn't affect your fertility, you should have the condition under control to avoid conceiving during a flare.
Most ulcerative colitis medications (like corticosteroids, most 5-ASAs and some immunosuppressant medications) are safe to continue taking even during pregnancy.
It's important to talk to your doctor about your risks for flares during pregnancy.Your goal will be preventing ulcerative colitis flares.
Your doctor might prescribe a medication that you wouldn't normally take, if the doctor thinks this will prevent flares.
Disease flares are associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, which are more common than birth defects or toxicities associated with the medications used to treat UC.
For this reason, you may need to use a potentially harmful medication to prevent poor pregnancy outcomes from the potential flares.
Make sure that you discuss these risks and benefits with your doctor. , Some medications to manage ulcerative colitis should be avoided during pregnancy because they may cause birth defects or harm the fetus.
Avoid taking thalidomide.
Some immunosuppressants, like methotrexate, should also be avoided.Some biologics, antibodies grown to fight the condition, are low risk, but may need to be avoided by the end of your pregnancy.
The biologics adalimumab and infliximab can cross the placenta so they shouldn't be given near the end of your third trimester.
However, in some situations, the potential benefits might outweigh the risks.
Discuss the potential risks and benefits with your doctor. , It can be difficult to keep track of which diagnostic procedures are safe during pregnancy.
In general, you should be able to safely get a colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, upper endoscopy, rectal biopsy, abdominal ultrasound, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) if needed while you're pregnant.Avoid computerized tomography (CT) scans and standard X-rays during pregnancy. , Although most pregnancies won't experience complications from ulcerative colitis, rare complications do happen.
If you are diagnosed with toxic megacolon, severe swelling and inflammation of the colon, your doctor will recommend surgery.
The surgery will remove and repair the colon.Your doctor and surgeon will take into account how far along you are in the pregnancy to determine the specific surgery you'll need.
You may need more surgery several months after delivering the baby.
About the Author
Emily Jimenez
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow home improvement tutorials.
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