Women with inflammatory bowel disease have a one-in-three chance of experiencing a disease flare during the postpartum year, new findings show.

Study authors say women with IBD should be encouraged to remain on treatment during and after pregnancy as the risk is tied to therapy discontinuation during pregnancy.

Women who have active disease when they conceive are at increased risk of poor pregnancy outcomes, but IBD patients whose disease is in remission may not be at increased risk, the authors note in their report in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

With dramatic drops in oestrogen and progesterone, as well as stress and disrupted sleep, the postpartum period may pose unique risks for women with IBD, although little research has been done on this topic, they add.