Healthwatch Essex launch new report and information resource exploring women’s experiences of inflammatory bowel disease during pregnancy and the postnatal period.
Over half a million people in the UK live with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). IBD is an umbrella term for two chronic gastrointestinal conditions: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The disease is characterised by a cycle of relapse (often referred to as ‘flare-ups’) and remission. Flare-up symptoms are unpredictable, and can include chronic fatigue, anaemia, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, weight loss, constipation, and diarrhoea. There is currently no cure. People living with Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis have to self-manage their condition. This involves recognising the signs of a flare-up, trialling medications, and trying different diets. Self-management is a trial-and-error process that can be tiring and time-consuming.
Having a baby has a massive impact on people’s lives. There is little research, however, on how pregnancy and caring for a newborn affects the lives of women and birthing people who are already self-managing a long-term condition like IBD. Healthwatch Essex’s new report – The Dual Challenge of Pregnancy and IBD – fills this gap, capturing the lived experiences of women with IBD during pregnancy and the postnatal period in their own words. It draws on in-depth qualitative interviews to understand how women managed their disease during and after pregnancy, and experienced care under multiple specialities, including their GP, maternity, and gastrointestinal services.
Read more here: https://healthwatchessex.org.uk/2024/01/the-dual-challenge-of-pregnancy-and-ibd/
