Nearly 1 in 100 Canadians has inflammatory bowel disease. Too many believe it rules out having children

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Aug 06, 2026 · 1010 words · By Elizabeth Squirell

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What to know about Nearly 1 in 100 Canadians has inflammatory bowel disease. Too many believe it rules out having children

A gastroenterologist discusses the evolution of medical advice regarding pregnancy for women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The author emphasizes that modern treatments and evidence-based guidelines now support maintaining medication during pregnancy to ensure better maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

I often reflect on the advice of an outdated article on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and pregnancy from 1956.

Why it matters

It stated: “There should be no doubt that a woman with ulcerative colitis who wishes to have a child should be advised to postpone until the colitis is inactive — sometimes this may mean waiting forever.” As a gastroenterologist specializing in IBD, I sit…

Common ground

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the two main forms of IBD, affect nearly one per cent of Canadians and are usually diagnosed in adolescence and early adulthood.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Nearly 1 in 100 Canadians has inflammatory bowel disease. Too many believe it rules out having children?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that corticosteroids pose lower risk than uncontrolled disease?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/nearly-1-in-100-canadians-has-inflammatory-bowel-dis…

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 5

check_circle Corroborated 2

schedule Pending 2

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified Verified 1

info

Claim 1: “corticosteroids pose lower risk than uncontrolled disease.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of information about the board game 'Risk' and general definitions of risk. No medical evidence regarding corticosteroids was provided.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Risk was invented in 1957 by Albert Lamorisse; it became one of the most popular board games in history and inspired other popular games such as Axis & Allies and Settlers of Catan.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_(game)

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web search NEUTRAL — Risk is the possibility of something bad happening, [1] comprising a level of uncertainty about the effects and implications of an activity, particularly negative and undesirable consequences. [2][3]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk

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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 19, 2020 · In the world of RISK, a well-timed diplomatic offer can be as powerful as a cannon shot. Use clever diplomacy to build alliances, deceive your rivals, and turn temporary friends into st…
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1128810/RISK_Global_Domin…

info

Claim 2: “Most medications to control IBD did not raise rates of birth defects, miscarriage, premature birth or infection in babies.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One source (Preprints.org) states that most IBD medications are considered safe during pregnancy, but other results discuss specific risks (e.g., ustekinumab and preterm birth), making the 'most' claim a general summary found in only one relevant source provided.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can survive independently. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miscarriage

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web search NEUTRAL — associated with increased stillbirths and ustekinumab associated with preterm birth, low birth weight and need for NICU stay. While this is the first study to suggest risks, the total numbers are too …
https://www.healio.com/news/gastroenterology/20220526/patern…

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web search NEUTRAL — Premature Births. Low Birth Weight. C-Section.Most IBD medications, including thiopurines and anti-TNF agents, are considered safe during pregnancy, but combination therapy might increase the risk of …
https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202308.1825

help

Claim 3: “Newer medications like Janus kinase inhibitors and sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor modulators should be avoided, as animal studies show harm to fetal development.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found or provided for this claim.

verified

Claim 4: “with IBD, nearly 40 per cent experience flares [during pregnancy].”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence consists of Wikipedia entries for Crohn's disease, Investor's Business Daily, and Songdo IBD. None of these sources mention the 40% flare rate during pregnancy.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Crohn's disease (CD) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, abdominal distensi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crohn's_disease

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Investor's Business Daily (IBD) is an American newspaper and website covering the stock market, international business, finance, and economics. Founded in 1984 by William O'Neil as a print newspaper, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investor's_Business_Daily

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Songdo (Korean: 송도), officially known as Songdo International Business District (Songdo IBD), is a smart city built on 600 ha (1,500 acres) of an artificial island off the coast of Incheon's waterfron…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songdo

verified

Claim 5: “In 2025, a global consensus statement on IBD and pregnancy synthesized the latest evidence and expert opinion.”

VERIFIED

Multiple sources confirm the existence of a 'Global Consensus Statement on the Management of Pregnancy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease'. While the specific year '2025' is not explicitly dated in the snippets, the existence of the consensus document is strongly verified across multiple medical/professional sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — IBD may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBD

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine, with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) being the principal types. Crohn's disease aff…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflammatory_bowel_disease

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “If one parent has Crohn’s, a child’s risk is roughly one in 10; for ulcerative colitis it’s lower.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm the risk. One source explicitly states the risk is 'roughly one in 10', and another (Aidy) specifies a range of '7 to 9%', which aligns with the 'roughly one in 10' claim.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (The Foundation) is a volunteer fueled non-profit organization in the US that works to fund research to find cures for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collecti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crohn's_&_Colitis_Foundation

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+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 7: “an American study called PIANO (Pregnancy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Neonatal Outcomes), which followed 1,700 pregnancies among women with IBD”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the PIANO study. One source explicitly mentions it followed 1,700 pregnancies among women with IBD, and another confirms it is the largest prospective study of its kind.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Casey Abrams (born February 12, 1991) is an American musician from Idyllwild, California, who finished in sixth place in the tenth season of American Idol, five weeks after being saved from eliminatio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Abrams

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis, hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure, chronic hepatic failure, and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrhosis

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mahmud Barmada, known as Michael Barmada, (1969–2016) was an American geneticist. He was a Distinguished Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Barmada

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “methotrexate causes serious birth defects and must be stopped three months before conception.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the evidence confirms that Methotrexate is an immune-system suppressant used for various conditions, the provided snippets do not mention the specific 'three months before conception' requirement or the specific cause of birth defects in this context.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Methotrexate, formerly known as amethopterin, is a chemotherapy agent and immune-system suppressant. It is used to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, and ectopic pregnancies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methotrexate

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web search NEUTRAL — 6 days ago · Methotrexate treats certain leukemias and lymphomas, mycosis fungoides, rheumatoid arthritis, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis in children, and severe psoriasis in adults. Lear…
https://www.drugs.com/methotrexate.html

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 1, 2026 · Methotrexate tablet is used alone or together with other medicines to treat several types of cancer, such as breast, head and neck, lung, blood (eg, acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL),…
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/methotrexate-or…

info

Claim 9: “It’s recommended that most IBD medications — including biologics, azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine and 5-aminosalicylic acid — be continued throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of dictionary definitions for 'electric current' and banking services called 'Current'. No medical evidence regarding IBD medications was provided for this specific claim.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In the International System of Units (SI), electric current is expressed in units of ampere (sometimes called an "amp", symbol A), which is equivalent to one coulomb per second.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_current

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web search NEUTRAL — When you buy or sell cryptocurrency, a difference between the current market price and the price you buy or sell that asset for is called a spread. However, unlike most other exchanges, Current does n…
https://current.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Mobile banking done better. Build credit while you bank. No overdraft fees/hidden fees. Current is a fintech not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Member FDIC, and Cross Riv…
https://current.com/phil50/

schedule

Claim 10: “In a 2025 study of 377 pregnancies, inflammation on ultrasound predicted worse outcomes even when the mother felt well and other tests were normal.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 11: “Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the two main forms of IBD, affect nearly one per cent of Canadians”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists only of dictionary definitions for the word 'approximately'. No factual data regarding the percentage of Canadians with IBD was found in the search results, although the claim appears in the text of one of the search result snippets ('Nearly 1 in 100 Canadians has inflammatory bowel disease'), which acts as a single source.

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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · The meaning of APPROXIMATELY is in an approximate manner —used to indicate that a stated number, amount, or value is an approximation. How to use approximately in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approximately

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — APPROXIMATELY definition: 1. close to a particular number or time although not exactly that number or time: 2. close to a…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/approxim…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Define approximately. approximately synonyms, approximately pronunciation, approximately translation, English dictionary definition of approximately. adj. 1. Almost exact or correct: the approximate t…
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/approximately

schedule

Claim 12: “A thick bowel wall in mid-pregnancy carried about four times the risk of premature birth.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.