Infertility issues and Celiac Disease

Did you know that up to 8% of women with unexplained infertility have Celiac disease? 

Today, approximately one in six people are infertile or need some help in achieving a pregnancy, and of those, 15% have unexplained infertility.

Celiac disease is a silent, inherited autoimmune disorder that is often missed by medical professionals. The disease affects the digestive process of the small intestine and is triggered by the consumption of gluten–a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Celiac Disease causes an abnormal response to gluten ingestion: the immune system attacks the small intestine, inhibiting the absorption of important nutrients such as Vitamin B12, folic acid, iron, calcium, magnesium, all nutrients needed to support a viable pregnancy.  When undiagnosed, gluten destroys the intestinal villi and wreaks havoc on the body’s systems.

About 97% of people with Celiac Disease have not been diagnosed and if gone untreated can lead to other health issues such as infertility.  For a child, it takes an average of eight visits to several pediatricians before getting a proper diagnosis, often because it has gone undetected in one of the parents.

What if you are trying to conceive (TTC)?  What other symptoms may you experience?  There are over 300 symptoms to Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity according to the University of Chicago Celiac Center:

• Recurring abdominal bloating and pain
• Chronic diarrhea/constipation
• Vomiting
• Liver and biliary tract disorders (“Transaminitis,” fatty liver, primary sclerosing cholangitis etc.)
• Weight loss
• Pale, foul-smelling stool
• Iron-deficiency anemia that does not respond to iron therapy
  
• Fatigue
• Failure to thrive or short stature
• Delayed puberty
• Pain in the joints
• Unexplained infertility, recurrent miscarriage, PCOS
• Osteopenia (mild) or osteoporosis (more serious bone density problem)
• Peripheral Neuropathy
• Psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia 
• Migraines
• PCOS
• Other autoimmune disorder such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis 

And many studies are showing how gluten free diets help many medical issues

Who is more at risk for Celiac disease?

• If any of your family members have had Celiac disease or suffered from any of the above listed symptoms
• If you have type 1 diabetes
• If you have suffered from recurrent anemia which does not seem to resolve
• If you are Irish or Italian or have Irish or Italian descendants in your family. For reasons we aren’t sure of, up to 10% of the Irish population suffers from Celiac disease and 1 in 250 Italians are affected.

If you are dealing with infertility or have had previous miscarriages you should be tested for Celiac disease.

GetPregnant.org