IL6 and inflammatory bowel disease: In summary, the vaginal microbiota of pregnant individuals with IBD (with over a half in remission but with higher fecal calprotectin levels than controls) does not differ from their healthy control counterparts, yet, the expression of important pro-inflammatory cytokines, namely IL-6, IL-8, and IL-17, is increased while expression of IFN-γ and IL-4 is decreased in the vaginal mucosa of pregnant individuals with IBD.