Nearly 1 in 100 Canadians has inflammatory bowel disease. Too many believe it rules out having children

I often reflect on the advice of an outdated article on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and pregnancy from 1956. It stated: “There should be no doubt that a woman with ulcerative colitis who wishes to have a child should be advised to postpone until the colitis is inactive — sometimes this may mean waiting forever.” As a gastroenterologist specializing in IBD, I sit across from women weekly seeking updated advice on how their disease affects pregnancy. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis,…