Stoma-related Complications and Obstetric Outcomes in Delivering Women with an Ostomy: A Systematic Review

Pregnancy in women living with an intestinal stoma is an uncommon clinical scenario, and available evidence on maternal, obstetric, and stoma-related outcomes is fragmented and largely derived from small observational studies. This systematic review aims to synthesize the existing literature on pregnancy outcomes in women with an ileostomy or colostomy, regardless of underlying indication. The primary outcome is the rate of successful pregnancies, defined as live birth without maternal death. Secondary outcomes include miscarriage, fetal death, mode of conception, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery, and stoma-related complications. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and Embase will be conducted from database inception to September 2025. Eligible studies include case reports, case series, and cohort studies reporting pregnancy outcomes in women with an intestinal stoma. Data will be synthesized descriptively, with pooled crude proportions calculated where appropriate. Sensitivity analyses excluding case reports and very small studies will be performed to assess the robustness of findings.