Is Breast-Feeding Safe for Women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Prior research has shown that women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were less likely than women in the general population to breast-feed their infants and that mothers with IBD who did breast-feed experienced increased postpartum disease activity resulting from discontinuation of medication (Am J Gastroenterol 2005; 100:102).

To further assess breast-feeding practices among women with IBD and the associated effects on disease flare during the postpartum year, investigators in Canada surveyed women of childbearing age included in the University of Manitoba IBD Research Registry. Of 204 eligible women, 132 (64.7%) provided information about 156 births, including medication usage, disease activity, and breast-feeding practices before, dur…