Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Breastfeeding: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently affects women of childbearing age who may consider breastfeeding. Although breastfeeding has numerous benefits, there remain concerns regarding the safety of breastfeeding among women with IBD. Breastfeeding is important in developing the immune system of infants and has been shown to protect against the development of IBD. The risk of developing an increase in disease activity postpartum is the same regardless of breastfeeding status. Most IBD medications are also considered safe in breastfeeding and have no major risks to infants. Despite this, breastfeeding rates remain low among women with IBD, mostly due to concerns about the safety of IBD therapy with breastfeeding. Many women self-discontinue their IBD medications to breastfeed, and there is often uncertainty among health professionals to make recommendations about therapy. Dedicated IBD clinics can greatly support mothers during pregnancy and breastfeeding periods to enhance their knowledge, optimize their medication adherence, and improve their postpartum outcomes. This review aims to provide the most recent evidence-based literature regarding the safety of breastfeeding in women with IBD and the current recommendations about medical therapies with breastfeeding.

Keywords: Crohn’s disease; breastfeeding; inflammatory bowel disease; lactation; ulcerative colitis.