Key Clinical Summary

• In the prospective WIsDoM cohort, 57 of 369 women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) attempting conception underwent assisted reproductive technology (ART).
• Pregnancy occurred in 38 women receiving in vitro fertilization (IVF)–based treatment and 8 of 11 women receiving intrauterine insemination (IUI) only.
• ART success was not associated with prior IBD surgery, prior pelvic IBD surgery, or disease activity measured closest to treatment.

Women with IBD who underwent ART achieved pregnancy in a prospective cohort, according to research presented at the American College of Gastroenterology meeting on October 12, 2026. The WIsDoM findings add prospective data on reproductive treatment in this population, including women with prior IBD surgery. Eugenia Shmidt, MD, FACG, of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, presented the research, which received an ACG Outstanding Research Award in the IBD category.

Study Findings

WIsDoM enrolls women aged 18 to 45 years with IBD who plan to become pregnant within 15 months. Monthly surveys track conception attempts and pregnancy outcomes. This analysis included 369 women attempting conception; 57 (15.4%) underwent ART.

Of those 57 women, 38 (66.7%) received IVF only, 8 (14.0%) received both IVF and IUI, and 11 (19.3%) received IUI only. Pregnancy occurred in 38 women who received IVF-based treatment and 8 (72.7%) who received IUI only.

Women who underwent ART were older than those who did not (mean age, 33.77 vs 32.06 years; P = .001) and had tried to conceive longer (10 vs 2 months; P < .001). They were more likely to be Asian (12.3% vs 2.9%; P = .04) and more frequently had active disease at the time of ART (58% vs 41%; P = .02).

IBD subtype, disease duration, and IBD therapy did not differ between groups. Prior pelvic surgery was reported more often in the ART group, although the difference was not statistically significant (32.0% vs 22.0%; P = .30). In univariate analyses, ART success was not associated with prior IBD surgery (P = .31), prior pelvic-specific IBD surgery (P = .27), or disease activity closest to ART (P = .78).

Clinical Implications

The findings provide prospective information for discussions with women with IBD considering ART, particularly those concerned about the effects of disease activity or prior surgery. The researchers noted that recent global pregnancy guidelines suggest ART is similarly effective in women with and without IBD, while prospective evidence on ART use and predictors of success in IBD has been limited.

The results describe pregnancy after ART within the WIsDoM cohort; the abstract does not present a comparison with women without IBD. Its analyses found no association between the three examined IBD-related factors and ART success. These observations may help clinicians discuss the available evidence without treating a history of IBD surgery as a demonstrated predictor of ART failure in this cohort.

The authors concluded that the findings support ART as a “viable reproductive option for women with IBD, including those with prior IBD surgery.” 

The WIsDoM data offer clinicians prospective pregnancy outcomes after ART in women with IBD. Further study could clarify which factors predict success; in this analysis, neither prior IBD surgery nor disease activity closest to treatment was associated with the outcome.

Reference: Shmidt E, Gottlieb ZS, Evans M, et al. Assisted reproductive technology outcomes in women with inflammatory bowel disease: prospective data from the WIsDoM cohort. Abstract 5. Presented at: American College of Gastroenterology meeting; October 12, 2026.