Pregnant and Suffering from Chrohn's or Colitis? This is Your New Clinic

The multidisciplinary clinic was opened through collaboration between the two departments and integrates care for pregnant women with inflammatory bowel diseases and other gastroenterological problems, in order to provide comprehensive care for this population under one roof. 

The new clinic, which is part of the new Women's Health Center at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, offers a solution to a complex logistical and medical issue: up until now, pregnant women with diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis had to navigate between multiple doctors and clinics – the doctor at their HMO, a gastroenterologist elsewhere, and a high-risk pregnancy physician – and the various professionals were not always coordinated with each other. 

Gastroenterology and High-Risk Pregnancy Clinic - maternal-fetal medicine at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center

“The idea is to provide an integrated response to both aspects - the pregnancy and the existing disease," said Dr. Noa Haggiag, a high-risk pregnancy physician in the Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science Department, and Dr. Baruch Ovadia, Director of the Crohn's Colitis Service at the Gastroenterology Institute, who will jointly manage the clinic. "It's not only logistically convenient, but medically correct - we can identify and treat issues with equal depth, and that's a huge advantage for the women." 

As mentioned, at the clinic a gastroenterologist and a high-risk pregnancy physician manage cases jointly. This enables them to address complex questions such as: How does the disease affect the pregnancy? Should biologic treatments be continued? How should flare ups be managed during pregnancy? And how will the woman deliver - naturally or by cesarean? 

"There are women who start their pregnancy with a flare up, and the pregnancy becomes much more difficult - with nutritional deficiencies, diarrhea and severe anemia," stated Prof. Rinat Gabbay Ben Ziv, Director of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Department and High-Risk Pregnancy Clinics at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center. "If there is active disease in the anal area, for example, there needs to be a discussion about the type of delivery, which explains why it is important to have the two specialists in one room with the pregnant woman. Collaboration between different disciplines in a single place is possible in a setting like a medical center. It gives the woman peace of mind, which also helps with diseases like Crohn's and colitis, and even more so during pregnancy." 

"What's important," concluded Dr. Ovadia and Dr. Haggiag, "is that the women receive 360° of care that integrates both gastroenterological monitoring and high-risk pregnancy support, and above all, efficient service for our patients." 

The clinic currently operates once a month, as needed. To reach the clinic, contact the High-Risk Pregnancy Clinic Secretary at Hillel Yaffe at 04-7744514 or by email at [email protected] or by fax at 04-7744948. A payment authorization form from the HMO is required (Form 17).