Principal Investigator: Emanuelle Bellaguarda, MD; Co-Principal Investigator: Stephen B. Hanauer, MD

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often affects people in their reproductive years, with little known about the impact of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive therapies on reproductive health. Men with IBD and their partners often request information on the effect of medication on male fertility. Fears and doubts significantly affect family planning as well as impact adherence to drug treatment and disease control. Fertility concerns emphasize the need to investigate the safety of drug treatment in these patients. Investigating the impact of two novel IBD treatments on sperm quality and genetic structure in male patients, Dr. Bellaguarda hopes to improve future patient care by ultimately enhancing patient counseling. Her team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital has joined forces with Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark to take advantage of the expert knowledge in the different centers within reproduction, medical treatment in IBD, and drug interactions