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News
Good news for women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who want to start a family: 73% of those who underwent fertility treatment achieved pregnancy, according to prospective data from the WIsDoM cohort. The key? Choosing the right method — embryo transfer (ET) succeeded 85% of the time, compared to just 38% for intrauterine insemination (IUI). Even prior IBD-related pelvic surgery didn't stand in the way of success with ET.
Prospective data from the WIsDoM cohort, presented at the ACG 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting, show that 73% of women with IBD who underwent fertility treatment achieved pregnancy. The study tracked 421 women aged 18–45 with IBD who were planning to conceive, of whom 67 underwent at least one fertility treatment.
The standout finding? Modality matters — a lot. Embryo transfer (ET) resulted in pregnancy in 85% of women and 73% of individual attempts, while intrauterine insemination (IUI) alone succeeded in just 38% of women and 10% of attempts. After adjusting for confounders, the odds of pregnancy with ET were 44 times higher than with IUI. Crucially, neither active IBD nor prior pelvic surgery significantly affected success rates with ET — all seven women with prior pelvic IBD surgery who underwent ET became pregnant.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: Women with IBD face higher infertility rates than the general population, yet real-world data on fertility treatment outcomes in this group have been scarce. These findings offer clinicians concrete, evidence-based guidance to help patients with IBD navigate their reproductive options with confidence.
