Women With These Diseases May Be Needlessly Limiting Their Fertility Options

By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - Many women with a bowel disorder that can affect fertility choose not to attempt pregnancy even though treatment may make it possible for them to conceive, a recent study suggests. Researchers studied more than 1,300 women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which involves chronic or recurring inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are the most common forms of IBD. People with Crohn’s have inflammation throughout the entire digestive tract, while in ulcerative colitis, only the large intestine is inflamed. Almost one in six women were voluntarily childless, often because they were older, had worse IBD symptoms or were unaware of options that might improve their odds of having a baby, the study found. “Poor knowledge is one of the drivers of voluntary childlessness,” said lead author Dr. Christian Selinger, a gastroenterologist at the University of Leeds in the U.K. While IBD doesn’t necessarily reduce fertility, medications to treat these conditions can impact the odds of conception and are also linked to certain birth defects. Surgical treatments can also lead to scarring that limits fertility, and many patients with IBD also experience sexual dysfunction. Despite these challenges, many women can still conceive through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other reproductive technologies. For the current study, Selinger and colleagues surveyed female members of the pat...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news