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Celiac Disease And Endometriosis


jebby

17,826 views

As I was doing my weekly glance through the PubMed database (www.pubmed.gov) I came across an interesting letter to the editor in the Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics entitled, “Celiac Disease and Endometriosis: What is the Nexus?” Endometriosis is a common gynecologic disorder, which effects approximately 10% of women of childbearing age. It involves the development of endometrium, which is the tissue which lines the uterus, in areas of the body outside of the uterus. Symptoms of endometriosis include heavy menstrual periods, abdominal and pelvic pain, abnormal menstrual cycles, and infertility. Although the exact cause of endometriosis is unknown, theories include retrograde menstruation (endometrial cells from the uterus flow backward into the fallopian tubes instead of out of the body during menstruation), an abnormal placement of embryonic stem cells in the pelvic cavity which produce endometrial tissue, and/or an immune system disorder.

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Endometriosis is associated with having the HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 genes (which are also present in approximately 96% of patients with Celiac Disease), as well as the DQ7 gene, which has been associated with Celiac Disease in some southern Italians, Sicilians, and Sardinians.

 

Two studies published within the last few years have shown associations between Celiac Disease and endometriosis. Researchers in Sweden (Stephansson, et al.) reviewed the medical records of over 11,000 women with Celiac Disease in 2011. Compared with controls, women with Celiac Disease were found to be at a much higher risk of having endometriosis, especially in the first year after diagnosis with celiac disease (overall hazard ratio of 1.39). The authors postulate that there must be a shared inflammatory process in both disorders. Likewise, researchers in Brazil found that 2.5% of women diagnosed with endometriosis also had Celiac Disease (Aguiar, et al, 2009). Please see the references section for links to these two studies.

 

The gluten free diet has recently been recommended as a strategy to manage the pain of endometriosis. In a pilot study in Italy, 75% of women with endometriosis had a decrease in pain symptoms after 12 months on the gluten free diet (see link in reference section). This strongly suggests that gluten sensitivity and/or Celiac Disease plays a role in endometriosis.

 

Although I do not have endometriosis, I have interacted with many women through social networking who do have both gluten intolerance and endometriosis. I can say that my periods have become significantly lighter and less painful since going gluten free after my Celiac diagnosis in 2010. I can also say, without a doubt, that my sensitivity to gluten seems to ebb and flow with my menstrual cycle. I seem to be the most sensitive to gluten cross contamination in the 7-10 day stretch before my period, when my estrogen levels are their highest.

 

With time, I hope that more research is done examining the link between celiac disease and gynecologic disorders. After reading up on endometriosis I did a PubMed search on “Celiac Disease and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)” and came up with one article from 2002 that was published in Turkey and did not find an association between the two conditions. I have a feeling that if the study was reproduced in the U.S., on a large scale, that an association between Celiac Disease and PCOS would be shown.

 

For more information on endometriosis, please check out the Mayo Clinic’s website. Rebecca, from “Pretty Little Celiac,” also wrote about endometriosis on her page in January 2013 (see link.)

 

References:

 

1. Mormile, R. and Vittori, G. Celiac disease and endometriosis: what is the nexus? Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics; June 2013 (e-pub, ahead of print).

 

2. Stephansson, O., Falconer, H., Ludvigsson, J. Risk of endometriosis in 11,000 women with celiac disease. Human Reproduction. 2011; 26 (10): 2896-2901.

 

3. Aguiar., F., et al. Serological testing for celiac disease in women with endometriosis. A pilot study. Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2009; 36(1): 23-25.

 

4. Marziali, M. et al. Gluten-free diet: a new strategy for management of painful endometriosis related symptoms? Minerva Chir. 2012 Dec; 67(6): 499-504.

9 Comments


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1desperateladysaved

Awe, to have my sister read this. I am double DQ2 and double DQ8! My sister has some trouble with endometriosis.

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jebby

Hi D,

Good to "see" you and glad we are back to blogging (even though we can't post!) Hope your sister finds it helpful!

J

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cahill

Why cant you post it ?

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jebby

Why cant you post it ?


I am not sure. I have been unable to post for the last few weeks because my posts stay stuck in draft mode. Peter, the admin, has been posting for me since I can no longer do it myself. Are you having similar issues?
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kareng
Something odd happened and a few people who had blogs, can't post anymore. New people seem to be able to. My personal opinion is that some gluten got to the hamsters that run the main system and they have never been right since. :(
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cahill

I do not blog so I have no idea if I could post it or not

I find this topic very interesting. I started a thread not long ago questioning if endometriosis. is an autoimmune disease . My PCP indicated to me that she considers endometriosis an autoimmune disease..

I have had endometriosis ( total hysterectomy years ago) and both my adult daughters have had to deal with endometriosiis

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1desperateladysaved

Yes, I have the option to edit or delete. Sooner or later I am done editing for better or for worse. I lost a blog one day after much work on it, so I gave up for a time. If you want to know about my last dentist appointment :( maybe someday I will be able to retype it or move it from wherever I stored it.

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snash7805

i am so excited to find this website. I have recently been diagnosed with this awful thing, and I am trying to adjust i guess is the word i could use, while I'm kicking and screaming like a little kid. But what I find interesting about all of this is I have had endometriosis since i was 20. So For 15 years i have had to try and deal with this horrid thing. Along the way I have also been diagnosed with PCOS as well. So now with this whole Celiac thing, my head is just spinning.I just wanted to say thank you for posting this.. I am more informed about this issue, and hopefully one day i can cope with this thing..

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jebby

Hi snash, You are welcome. There seem to be a LOT of us who have both Celiac Disease and problems with our menstrual cycles. Although there must be a relationship between the 2 problems, research into this is really lacking. I wish you the best on your gluten free journey!

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