PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

First global guidelines for pregnancy and inflammatory bowel disease developed

UCSF's Uma Mahadevan, MD, leads international consensus conference, with goal of improving treatment and outcomes for women with IBD and their children.

2025-08-28
(Press-News.org)

For women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), pregnancy can be an uncertain time due to limited clinical data about how IBD medications impact pregnancy outcomes and infants who have been exposed to IBD medications in utero. 

As a matter of policy, pregnant women are excluded from clinical trials of experimental therapies for IBD and when a new therapy achieves regulatory approval, there is only animal safety data, but no human pregnancy safety data.  

For patients with IBD, stopping medication leads to an increase in IBD symptoms, which can make their pregnancies high-risk. These women are often young and otherwise healthy, so they are not always recognized as high-risk despite the association of uncontrolled IBD with adverse maternal and obstetric outcomes.

To improve treatment of IBD during pregnancy worldwide, the Helmsley PIANO Expert Global Consensus was convened to provide standardized, evidence-based recommendations to providers caring for women with IBD. The PIANO (Pregnancy Inflammatory Bowel Disease And Neonatal Outcomes) study looked at the safety of IBD medications in pregnancy and short- and long-term outcomes of the children.

Based on reviews of the literature by the consortium experts, final recommendations for the global consensus were published simultaneously on August 28, in six international journals including Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology,American Journal of Gastroenterology, GUT, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, and Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Hope and comfort for mothers with IBD

The final study results and guidelines include new findings such as continuing all biologics throughout pregnancy and lactation, universal pre-conception counseling, understanding of high-risk maternal status, providing low dose aspirin to prevent preterm preeclampsia, and giving the rotavirus vaccine on schedule.

“Some of the findings were expected, but others were novel,” said Uma Mahadevan, MD, director of the Colitis and Crohn’s Disease Center at UCSF, principal investigator of the PIANO study, and chair of the Global Consensus Conference. “The goal of our study and consortium has been to provide hope, comfort, and the same high-level care to current and future mothers with IBD. The consensus recommendations are the first truly global effort to improve treatment and outcomes for women with IBD and their children.” 

Specifically, the consortium recommends women with inflammatory bowel disease receive preconception counseling and ideally be in remission for three to six months prior to considering conception. It also recommends that all women with IBD are followed as high-risk pregnancies. 

Also recommended is the continuation of medications that are considered low risk for use during pregnancy, such as 5-ASAs, sulfazalazine, thiopurines, and all monoclonal antibodies during preconception, pregnancy, and lactation. For small molecule drugs, the consortium recommends they be avoided for at least one month, and in some cases for three months prior to attempting conception, unless there is no alternative for the health of the mother. They should also be avoided during lactation. 

Another novel recommendation is that women with IBD may breastfeed with all monoclonal antibodies, including newer IL-23s, even though there is not yet clinical trial data. The recommendation to continue them through pregnancy and lactation is based on placental physiology, as well as on the physiology of monoclonal antibody transfer in breast milk.

While biologic medication can cross the placenta and be detected in infants from 1 to 6 months, levels of biologic drugs detected in breast milk in the study were very low and did not adversely affect infant outcomes. The consensus recommends that women with IBD can breastfeed while on biologic therapy. Additionally, there was no increase in infant infections at 4 months or 12 months if they were exposed to a biologic or thiopurine (or both) during pregnancy.

The consortium also recommends that all women with IBD be started on aspirin by 12 to 16 weeks of pregnancy. This is to reduce the risk of preterm preeclampsia. Women with IBD should also be monitored for venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk, both before delivery as well as in the postpartum period. Offspring of women with IBD should also receive a rotavirus vaccine on schedule, even among infants exposed to biologic therapy in utero. 

“A unique aspect of this consensus conference was the geographically diverse representation from around the globe,” said Millie D. Long MD, MPH, co-chair of the Global Consensus Conference and chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Through this international collaboration, we ensured that all recommendations were feasible and appropriate for women with IBD. In addition, we included patient representatives from each continent to maximize the role of the patient voice in determining best practices of care. We hope that this consensus statement will provide a blueprint for evidence-based management of women with IBD, from pre-conception to post-delivery.”

No increase in birth defects or negative impact on brain development

The PIANO research study, a national study of women with IBD and their children around the U.S., enrolled 2,268 pregnant women with IBD who had 1,702 live births. Among the women, 598 IBD mothers were exposed to steroids during pregnancy. Compared to unexposed mothers, those on steroids had higher rates of preterm birth, low birth weight infants, and infants being admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. However, there was no increase in birth defects, brain deficits, or infant infection based on steroid use. The researchers concluded that steroid use may be a marker of active disease, which is the real driver of these outcomes. Active disease during pregnancy was more common in patients with ulcerative colitis and led to increased miscarriage.

The study found no reduction in brain development or developmental milestones based on maternal IBD medication use. Infants of mothers with IBD who go to daycare were not more likely to get infections than other children based on medication exposure during pregnancy.

The Global Consensus Consortium consisted of 50 experts from around the world, including IBD specialists, teratologists, maternal fetal medicine specialists, patient advocates, and surgeons. The members of the group convened to review and assess current data and come to an agreement on best practices based on these data. They used the GRADE process (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) when appropriate and the RAND process (Research and Development) in those instances where expert opinion was needed to guide consistent practice. 


Additional authors: Cynthia H. Seow, MBBS (Hons), MSc, FRACP; Edward L. Barnes, MD, MPH; María Chaparro, MD, PhD; Emma Flanagan, MD, PhD; Sonia Friedman, MD; Mette Julsgaard, MD, PhD; Sunanda Kane MD, MSPH; Siew Ng, MD, PhD; Joana Torres, MD, PhD; Gillian Watermeyer, MD; Jesus Yamamoto-Furusho, MD, PhD, MSc; Christopher Robinson, MD, MSCR; Susan Fisher, PhD; Phil Anderson, PhD, FASHP, FCSHP; Richard Gearry, MBChB, PhD; Dana Duricova, MD, PhD; Marla Dubinsky, MD; and the Global Consensus Group for Pregnancy and IBD.

Funding: The Leona B. and Harry H. Helmsley Charitable Trust

About UCSF Health: UCSF Health is recognized worldwide for its innovative patient care, reflecting the latest medical knowledge, advanced technologies and pioneering research. It includes the flagship UCSF Medical Center, which is a top-ranked specialty hospital, as well as UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, with campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Children’s Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. These hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world-renowned for its graduate-level health sciences education and biomedical research. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. Visit https://ucsfhealth.org. Follow UCSF Health on Facebook or Threads.

###

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

In search of the perfect raspberry

2025-08-28
One of our most popular summer soft fruits could last longer in the fridge thanks to pioneering new research conducted at Cranfield University. Researchers have recently published a new method to edit the DNA of raspberries, with the goal of creating more sustainable raspberry production and less food waste. A first for gene editing in raspberry The new study details a novel method for the isolation of single cells (protoplasts) from the leaf tissue of raspberry microplants grown in sterile tissue culture. The protoplasts were then gene edited with CRISPR-Cas9, a revolutionary biotechnology ...

Bio-inspired, self-cleaning sweat sensors for comfortable wearable health monitoring

2025-08-28
Wearable sensors can help prevent critical health issues by continuously monitoring physiological factors in real time. Specifically, sweat monitoring can provide valuable insights into electrolyte balance and overall health. Sodium concentration in sweat is a key indicator of hydration and muscle performance. Thin film materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and ion-selective membranes (ISMs), have become central to the development of wearable sweat sensors. CNTs offer high mechanical flexibility and electrical conductivity, and ISMs enable non-invasive detection of specific ions in sweat. Unfortunately, ...

Chung-Ang University researchers reveal strange dynamics of nanoparticle growth and shrink

2025-08-28
Nanoparticles have diverse applications in modern science and industry, powering technologies like quantum-dot displays, nanocatalysts and drug delivery. Their unique physicochemical properties, which can be tuned by changing their size and shape, make them highly attractive. However, despite extensive research, the exact mechanisms and dynamics of monodisperse, or uniformly sized, nanoparticle formation and growth remain poorly understood. The classical nucleation theory (CNT), based on the Gibbs-Thomson equation, has been the primary framework for understanding nanoparticle ...

No strong evidence for alternative autism treatments, study finds

2025-08-28
The most comprehensive quantitative review of research into complementary and alternative treatments for autism has found no strong evidence to support their use, and that the safety of these treatments was rarely assessed. A new study from Paris Nanterre University, Paris Cité University and the University of Southampton, published today [28 August] in Nature Human Behaviour, assessed 248 meta-analyses, including 200 clinical trials involving over 10,000 participants. Researchers were investigating the efficacy and safety of complementary, alternative and integrative medicines (CAIMs) to treat autism. They looked at 19 types of treatment, including animal-assisted interventions, ...

New self-assembling material could be the key to recyclable EV batteries

2025-08-28
Today’s electric vehicle boom is tomorrow’s mountain of electronic waste. And while myriad efforts are underway to improve battery recycling, many EV batteries still end up in landfills. A research team from MIT wants to help change that with a new kind of self-assembling battery material that quickly breaks apart when submerged in a simple organic liquid. In a new paper published in Nature Chemistry, the researchers showed the material can work as the electrolyte in a functioning, solid-state ...

An ancient signpost: Minute fossils tell big story about arthropod evolution

2025-08-28
A tiny fossil of a sea creature that lived more than half a billion years ago sheds new light on the evolution of arthropods, the most species-rich and successful group of animals to inhabit the Earth, according to a study published in Nature Communications. One of the last remaining enigmas surrounding arthropod evolution has been the split of the tree of life separating the two largest groups of arthropods: mandibulates, the group including insects, crustaceans, millipedes and centipedes; and chelicerates, the group that includes spiders, scorpions and their kin. New analyses of fossils of an extinct segmented creature known as Jiangfengia multisegmentalis reveal ...

Predictable structures in music synchronises blood pressure the most, and could be used to create personalized music-based cardiovascular therapies  

2025-08-28
Key take-aways     New research shows that blood pressure, like heart rate and breathing, synchronises more to predictable phrase structures in music, which may improve the body’s baroreflex sensitivity, i.e. its ability to regulate blood pressure.  92 participants had their blood pressure continuously monitored while listening to nine out of 30 piano music tracks. The piece of music that had the most predictable phrase structures, and the biggest impact on blood pressure, was the English pianist Harold Bauer’s performance of Franz Liszt’s ...

New systematic review and meta-analysis shows an association between shingles vaccination and lower risk of heart attack and stroke 

2025-08-28
Key take-aways    A new global systematic review and meta-analysis has shown an association between herpes zoster vaccination, used to prevent shingles, and a statistically significant lower risk of heart attack and stroke  Herpes zoster vaccination was associated with an 18% and 16% reduction in risk of cardiovascular events in adults 18 and 50 years or older, respectively   The findings are encouraging, but more research is needed to understand whether there may be a causal connection       Madrid, Spain – 28 August 2025: A new global systematic ...

Food for thought: Using food delivery services to provide rapid cardiac arrest response and potentially save lives

2025-08-28
Inspired by an urgent need to improve timely defibrillation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) in dense urban settings, a team of investigators developed a simulation that explored the potential of leveraging an existing food delivery network in Taipei City, Taiwan, to help address this challenge. Their findings in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier, suggest that deploying food delivery riders to deliver defibrillation may reduce automated external defibrillator (AED) response times by approximately three minutes—about 50% faster than a traditional emergency medical system (EMS)—and might be particularly beneficial during peak ...

College drinking linked to poor academics, mental health for those around the drinker: Study

2025-08-28
By Paul Candon PISCATAWAY, NJ – It’s well known that alcohol misuse can harm not only drinkers themselves but also those around them. Now, a new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs shows that, among college students, harms such as lower grades, mental distress and even suicidal thoughts are linked to being exposed to a drinker’s poor behavior. “We often think of alcohol’s harms as physical or social, but this was the first study to assess academic harms from others’ drinking, like having to drop a class or take on extra work,” says lead researcher Pamela ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Engineers develop solid lubricant to replace toxic materials in farming

Repurposing gemstone polishing waste to create smart cement

Patient-physician messaging by race, ethnicity, insurance type, and preferred language

Unrecognized motor difficulties and developmental coordination disorder in preschool children

Background genetic variants influence clinical features in complex disorders

Smarter battery tech knows whether your EV will make it home

Overactive microRNAs block fat cell development in progeria

Crosswalk confusion: MA drivers flummoxed by pedestrian hybrid beacons, find UMass Amherst researchers

Study shows heart disease mortality disproportionately burdens low-income communities in California

Intracardiac echocardiography recognized as ‘transformative’ imaging modality in new SCAI position statement

Study finds ‘man’s best friend’ slows cellular aging in female veterans

To get representative health data, researchers hand out fitbits

Hiring in high-growth firms: new study explores the timing of organizational changes

Boosting work engagement through a simple smartphone diary

Climate change may create ‘ecological trap’ for species who can’t adapt

Scientists create ChatGPT-like AI model for neuroscience to build one of the most detailed mouse brain maps to date

AI and omics unlock personalized drugs and RNA therapies for heart disease

2023 ocean heatwave ‘unprecedented but not unexpected’

Johns Hopkins researchers develop AI to predict risk of US car crashes

New drug combination offers hope for men with advanced prostate cancer

New discovery finds gene converts insulin-producing cells into blood-sugar boosters

Powerful and precise multi-color lasers now fit on a single chip

Scientists agree chemicals can affect behavior, but industry workers more reluctant about safety testing

DNA nanospring measures cellular motor power

Elsevier Foundation and RIKEN launch “Envisioning Futures” report: paving the way for gender equity and women’s leadership in Japanese research

Researchers discover enlarged areas of the spinal cord in fish, previously found only in four-limbed vertebrates

Bipolar disorder heterogeneity decoded: transforming global psychiatric treatment approaches

Catching Alport syndrome through universal age-3 urine screening

Instructions help you remember something better than emotions or a good night’s sleep

Solar energy is now the world’s cheapest source of power, a Surrey study finds

[Press-News.org] First global guidelines for pregnancy and inflammatory bowel disease developed
UCSF's Uma Mahadevan, MD, leads international consensus conference, with goal of improving treatment and outcomes for women with IBD and their children.