Living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Diagnosis during pregnancy

IBD is a lifelong condition that can impose a substantial physical, psychological and social burden on individuals. In this article, Joanne Cooper, Jacqueline Collier, Veronica James and Christopher J Hawkey present a case study of one person’s diagnosis of IBD during pregnancy. Taken from a larger qualitative research project exploring beliefs about personal control and self-management in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the challenges faced when developing symptoms of IBD during pregnancy are discussed. This offers new insight into the needs of pregnant women developing IBD and identifies the important role played by gastrointestinal nurses in supporting patients and educating non-IBD specialist staff.