Special considerations for women with IBD.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), namely Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are common in Western society. Because at least half of the patients suffering from these diseases are women, it is important that physicians are aware of their gender-specific needs. There are multiple important concerns for women with UC and CD including issues of body image and sexuality, menstruation, contraception, screening for cervical cancer, matters related to menopause and hormone replacement therapy, osteoporosis, and the overlap seen between IBS and IBD. In this article, we have addressed these important, non-pregnancy-related issues faced by women with IBD.