Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Where Your Contribution Counts!
    eNewsletter
    Support Us!
  • Jefferson Adams
    Jefferson Adams

    Celiac Disease May Have Negative Impact on Pregnancy and Female Fertility

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.
    Celiac Disease May Have Negative Impact on Pregnancy and Female Fertility - Photo: CC--Mahaile
    Caption: Photo: CC--Mahaile

    Celiac.com 11/05/2012 - Over the last 40 years, studies have shown higher rates of menstrual abnormalities and pregnancy complications among women with celiac disease.

    However, the data from these studies have been inconsistent, and inconclusive regarding the actual effects of celiac disease on female fertility. To get a better picture of the relationship between celiac disease and female fertility and pregnancy, researchers recently conducted a more comprehensive study.

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
    The research team was led by Stephanie M. Moleski, MD, of Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia. Dr. Moleski presented an abstract of the study data at the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting 2012.

    In the abstract, she points out that women with biopsy-proven celiac disease had significantly higher rates of fertility and pregnancy complications and gave birth to less children than those without the disease.

    Because it is an abstract, the study data and conclusions should be regarded as preliminary until they appear in a peer-reviewed journal, where they can be given a fuller context and be more widely scrutinized.

    For their study, Dr. Moleski and her colleagues recruited patients treated for celiac disease at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, as well as members of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness and the Gluten Intolerance Group, to respond in an anonymous Internet-based survey about fertility and pregnancy. Women without celiac disease also completed the survey and served as a control group.

    The survey included questions about celiac diagnosis and history, menstrual history, fertility, spontaneous abortions, and pregnancy outcomes.

    Approximately 1,000 women who completed the survey. Of those, 473 had physician-diagnosed celiac disease, while 298 women had the been confirmed for celiac via small-bowel biopsy. The researchers used the group with biopsy-proven disease to compare against 560 women without celiac disease.

    The data showed that 41.2% of women with celiac disease had increased difficulty conceiving compared with 36.5% of control subjects (P=0.03). Women with celiac disease also had more consultations with fertility specialists and higher rates of spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, and cesarean section, compared with control subjects.

    Additionally, women with celiac disease were shown to have a shorter duration of fertility, to have a later onset of menarche and be younger when they experienced menopause, said Dr. Moleski.

    The data also revealed important differences between women with and without celiac disease. In all, 22.4% of women with celiac disease had consulted with fertility specialists, compared with 19% of those without (P=0.04). Also, 43.3% of celiacs had a history of spontaneous abortion, compared with 36.6% of non-celiacs (P=0.02).

    Compared with the control group of non-celiacs, women with celiac disease also had higher rates of cesarean delivery, 26.4% versus 23.8% of non-celiac women.

    Lastly, rates of preterm delivery were 23.2% for celiac women, and 14% for those without celiac disease (P=0.007), while the group with celiac disease was was also slightly older at the onset of their first period (12.7 versus 12.4 years, P=0.01).

    Among women reporting a history of spontaneous abortion, more than 80% of miscarriages occurred prior to diagnosis of celiac disease, said Dr. Moleski.

    She concluded that the retrospective analysis done by her team shows a clear relationship between celiac disease, fertility, and pregnancy outcomes, and suggests that the results demonstrate "a need for increased awareness of this association among patients and physicians."

    Sources:

    • Medpagetoday.com
    • American College of Gastroenterology, 2012; Moleski SM, et al "Infertility and pregnancy outcomes in celiac disease" ACG 2012; Abstract 15.


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Guest SCK

    Sadly, I am one of the 80%. I've been gluten-free for more than two years, and I still have long, unproductive cycles. We've been trying to have a baby for four years. I became pregnant with the assistance of fertility medicine, but lost the baby. Celiac disease sucks.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites


    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Help Celiac.com:
    Donate
  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University. His articles, essays, poems, stories and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and websites, including North American Project, Antioch Review, Caliban, Mississippi Review, Slate, and more. He is the author of more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His university coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously devised health and medical content for Colgate, Dove, Pfizer, Sharecare, Walgreens, and more. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of numerous books, including "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

    >VIEW ALL ARTICLES BY JEFFERSON ADAMS

     


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Related Articles

    Scott Adams
    Hyperprolactinaemia is seen in 25% of celiac patients, which causes impotence and loss of libido. This quote was taken from an abstract at the following cite: Dig Dis, 12(3):186-190 1994, May-Jun. The title of the article is Infertility, Obstetric and Gynaecological Problems in Celiac Sprue. Here are some more references:
    Molteni N, Bardella MT, Bianchi PA. Obstetric and gynecological problems in women with untreated celiac sprue. J Clin Gastroenterol 1990; 12: 37-9. Sher KS, Mayberry JF. Female fertility, obstetric and gynaecological history in celiac disease. A case control study. Digestion 1994; 55: 243-6. Sher KS, Jayanthi V, Probert CS, Stewart CR, Mayberry JF. Infertility, obstetric and gynaecological problems in celiac sprue. Dig Dis 1994; 12:186-90. McCann...


    Diana Gitig Ph.D.
    Celiac.com 07/11/2011 - Is celiac disease associated with infertility? Although some reports suggest that as much of 8% of women with unexplained infertility have celiac disease, others found no correlation between the two conditions. And there is little hard evidence that celiac disease is an actual cause of infertility. To begin to bring some clarity to this issue, Khoshbaten et al. tried to determine the prevalence of celiac disease among couples with unexplained infertility in Iran. Their results are reported in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research.
    Infertile couples were recruited in Tabriz, Iran, between October 2006 and September 2007. After a complete evaluation of their endocrine status, one hundred couples with unexplained infertility were chosen for this study...


    Jefferson Adams
    Celiac.com 12/08/2011 - Researchers have shown that celiac disease and Toxoplasma gondii infection can both cause a strong neutrophil-mediated immune reaction that can have an adverse impact pregnancy outcomes.
    In most cases, people with otherwise healthy immune systems who develop toxoplasmosis remain asymptomatic, but Toxoplasma gondii can trigger both chronic infection and abortion in adults, as well as fatal illness in patients with immune deficiencies.
    In addition, interleukin-8 (IL8) is known to selectively stimulate the ability of tissue that has been injured or inflamed by neutrophil and T lymphocytes.
    To determine a possible connection between celiac disease and Toxoplasma
    gondii, the research team recruited 827 pregnant women.
    On average, the team took samples...


    Diana Gitig Ph.D.
    Celiac.com 12/20/2011 - There has been some controversy surrounding the idea that there is a higher prevalence of undiagnosed celiac disease in people with infertility, with some studies finding it but others not. Most of these studies have been performed in Europe; only two to date have taken place in the United States. Peter Green’s group at Columbia recently tried to establish the actual prevalence of undiagnosed celiac disease in the infertile population in the United States, to determine if it would make sense to routinely screen a subgroup of infertile patients for celiac disease. Their results are published in The Journal of Reproductive Medicine.
    Study participants were recruited from the population who came to Columbia’s Center for Women’s Reproductive Care to deal with ...


  • Recent Activity

    1. - McNish posted a topic in Gluten-Free Restaurants
      0

      Peoria IL 100% gluten-free

    2. - trents replied to SuzanneL's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      Weak Positive Test

    3. - powerofpositivethinking posted a topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      0

      Oh the Anomalies! This Forum Helped My Dog and Me

    4. - SuzanneL replied to SuzanneL's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      Weak Positive Test

    5. - cristiana replied to Larzipan's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      16

      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      120,506
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    NanaA
    Newest Member
    NanaA
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.2k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Popular Now

    • JustGemi
    • Linedancegal
    • Hannah24
      9
    • jessiemariecar
    • Rhonda H
  • Popular Articles

    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
  • Upcoming Events

×
×
  • Create New...