Pregnancy and Breastfeeding in Patients with Crohn’s Disease

Vol. 76, No. 2, 2007

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Paper

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding in Patients with Crohn's Disease
Christian Mottet^a, Pascal Juillerat^a, Valérie Pittet^c, Jean-Jacques Gonvers^a, Florian Froehlich^{a, b}, John-Paul Vader^c, Pierre Michetti^a, Christian Felley^a

^aDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne,
^bGastrointestinal Department, University of Basle, Basle, and
^cHealthcare Evaluation Unit, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

Address of Corresponding Author

Digestion 2007;76:149-160 (DOI: 10.1159/000111030)

Key Words

Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease, pregnancy
Crohn's disease, therapy
Breastfeeding

Abstract

Crohn's disease commonly affects women of childbearing age. Available data on Crohn's disease and pregnancy show that women with Crohn's disease can expect to conceive successfully, carry to term and deliver a healthy baby. Control of disease activity before conception and during pregnancy is critical, to optimize both maternal and fetal health. Generally speaking, pharmacological therapy for Crohn's disease during pregnancy is similar to pharmacological therapy for nonpregnant patients. Patients maintained in remission by way of pharmacological therapy should continue it throughout their pregnancy. Sulfasalazine, mesalazine and corticosteroids are safe, azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine are reasonably safe with few discordant data, infliximab seems safe as well, whereas methotrexate is contraindicated during pregnancy. During breastfeeding, mesalazine and prednisone are considered safe, azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine, budesonide and infliximab probably safe and methotrexate is contraindicated.

Author Contacts

Christian Mottet, MD, PhD
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Rue du Bugnon 46
CH-1011 Lausanne (Switzerland)
Tel. +41 21 314 06 83, Fax +41 21 314 07 07, E-Mail christian.mottet@chuv.ch

Article Information

Published online: February 7, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 12
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 97

Medline Abstract (ID 18239407)

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