[Allysmommy]

Hello there,

My dd who is just over two was dx in the begining of Dec with celiac disease. My husband and I have had numerous difficulties trying to get pregnant. We have had several m/c, one still birth and my dd who was born with an SUA. As I am researching celiac disease and gluten-free and all that means, I keep comming across information on pregnancy, celiac disease and the relation to undiagnosed women and high risks to the pregnancy. I know we have to get tested (DH and I) and we have an appt with our RE in Jan. I was wondering if any of you all were new to celiac disease and have had troubles with pregnancy and celiac disease. Did you have a neg test but still have issues during pregnancy? Can pregnancy "cause" symptoms to surface? We are going to go for a consult and an annalisis for IUI. I am wondering if I need to mention this to my RE. I know I have a ton of questions...but this new dx for dd could explain why we are having trouble and if I need to switch to a gluten-free diet for the health of myself and our children.


Any information will be so helpful.

Thanks,
MacKenzie

[Mother of Jibril]

Hi MacKenzie,

Pregnancy was definitely the trigger that sent my autoimmune problems into overdrive. I think they were always there to some degree, but after my daughter was born in April 2005 I went through a bout of (undiagnosed) postpartum thyroiditis. I got pregnant again in August 2006 and sadly, that ended in a loss at 17 weeks, followed by a severe depression (pregnancy loss and depression are both symptoms of hypothyroidism). My son was born in February 2008 and then I really started having trouble! Abdominal pain (for several months I thought it was afterpains and then cramps from my IUD), hair loss, constipation, bloating, rapid weight loss, pain in my knees and shoulders, severely dry skin, postpartum OCD, etc...

At the end of July I was finally diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism. My TSH was more than 10X over the normal limit On my own I've learned I'm intolerant to gluten and corn and have the DQ8 gene. I recently had a biopsy for DH and I'm trying to get tested for Sjogren's syndrome... I'm already on a prescription for chronically dry eyes. My husband would like to try for another baby someday, but I'm not sure. It would mean risking another loss (a lot of autoimmune disorders cause problems during pregnancy, not just celiac disease), but it would also mean risking my own health!! It just seems like too much I adore the children we already have.

Anyway... considering your daughter's diagnosis, I think you're VERY smart to investigate your own health. Just make sure you get the testing for celiac before you start a gluten-free diet.

[Beth41777]

There are some great resources out there with lots of information as to the risks of celiac, the triggers of it (one being pregnancy) and the relation of pregnancy and infertility. And you may get tested and have a false negative! If you have celiac, or are gluten intolerant, your body does not absorb nutrition properly which is one of the causes of the infertility, miscarriages, and low birthweight babies. If you go on the gluten free diet, allow time for your body to heal, and remain healthy (eating nutritiously while avoiding gluten 100%) then you will be in the same condition as a person without celiac as far as getting pregnant and having healthy babies. I suggest checking out amazon or your local book store for some good books written by Doctors and nutritionists for other information as there is way too much to put into a post here.