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    Michelle Melin-Rogovin
    Michelle Melin-Rogovin

    Fertility and Pregnancy in Women with Celiac Disease

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Journal of Gluten Sensitivity Autumn 2002 Issue. NOTE: This article is from a back issue of our popular subscription-only paper newsletter. Some content may be outdated.

    At the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program, women with celiac disease who have recently become pregnant often contact us. Remarkably, the questions we receive from these women seldom stray from one issue, that is, whether or not to maintain a gluten-free diet while pregnant. Most women mistakenly believe that the gluten-free diet will deprive their developing fetus with the nutrients it needs, and hurt the growing baby. In fact, for a pregnant woman with celiac disease, remaining ON the gluten-free diet is the best and only option for the health of mother and child. The gluten-free diet provides pregnant women and their babies with all of the nutrients they need to grow and be healthy.

    Fortunately, for all concerned, there have been excellent research studies on fertility, pregnancy and celiac disease conducted by top-notch investigators around the world. While this important research has mainly focused on women, it is important to note that researchers have established (since the 1950s) that men also suffer from infertility due to undiagnosed celiac disease.

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    Celiac Disease and Fertility
    In research studies to date, the incidence of celiac disease in women with unexplained infertility has been estimated at four to eight percent. While a number of studies have demonstrated that unexplained infertility can be successfully treated with the gluten-free diet, others have shown that there are factors other than malabsorption of nutrients that result in infertility, delayed menarche (the start of the menstrual cycle) and early menopause.

    In two large case control studies, researchers examined the incidence of delayed menarche, amenorrhea (cessation of the menstrual cycle for short periods of time), and early menopause. Both studies enrolled women with celiac disease who were following the gluten-free diet or eating a gluten-containing diet.

    They found that women who were not on the gluten-free diet started their menstrual cycle up to a year and a half later than women with celiac disease who were following the diet. In addition, researchers found that up to 39% of women not on the diet experienced periods of amenorrhea, compared to only nine percent of women who were on the gluten-free diet. As you would expect, women with celiac disease who were not on the gluten-free diet were found to enter menopause four to five years earlier than women with celiac disease who were on the diet.

    Researchers who have studied women with infertility have found that they test positive for celiac disease-related antibodies at a rate that is ten-fold higher than the normal population. They have also demonstrated that women with infertility who are diagnosed with celiac disease do not always exhibit iron, B-12, or folate deficiencies, which points to other celiac disease-related explanations for the development of their infertility.

    Celiac Disease and Pregnancy
    Researchers have also studied the effect of the gluten-free diet in pregnant women with celiac disease, in order to determine any impact on the developing fetus and the pregnancy outcome. In a study of 25 patients and 60 pregnancies researchers found that 21% of women who were not on the gluten-free diet experienced pregnancy loss, and 16% of women experienced fetal growth restriction. Researchers also remarked, however, that successful pregnancies occurred before and after diagnoses for many women in the study.

    In a large Danish study with 211 infants and 127 mothers with celiac disease, researchers found that the mean birth weight of children born to mothers on a gluten-containing diet was significantly lower than babies born to mothers without celiac disease. Interestingly, this same study determined that women on the gluten-free diet gave birth to children weighing more than those born to mothers without celiac disease!

    In a case-control study that looked at the effect of the gluten-free diet on pregnancy and lactation, investigators learned that women with celiac disease who were not on the gluten-free diet experienced pregnancy loss at a rate of 17.8%, compared to 2.4% of women with celiac disease who were on the gluten-free diet. These researchers found that there was no difference in the occurrence of pregnancy and fertility problems in women with sub-clinical (positive blood test, negative biopsy) or clinical disease (positive blood test, positive biopsy).

    Finally, in a group of women with celiac disease who had been pregnant more than once, researchers looked at the effect of the gluten-free diet on their future pregnancies. They concluded that the institution of the gluten-free diet upon diagnosis caused a relative 35.6% drop in pregnancy loss, 29.4% drop in low-birth weight babies and an increase of two and a half months of breastfeeding.

    While the malabsorption of nutrients is not the only cause of fertility and pregnancy-related problems for women with celiac disease, the gluten-free diet is essential to improving the health of women and their babies.

     



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    Guest Pam

    I am 56, went through menopause in mid thirties. Only had one son, he was preterm, low birth weight, full of allergies, slow grower. He was diagnosed at 2 with celiac, but unfortunately, the doctors back then did not explain it was genetic. We thought it was an allergy he would outgrow. I was not diagnosed until I was 55 years old and now too many problems to mention. My villi are not coming back even after 18 months on the diet strictly. I wish we had websites when I was in my childbearing years, I would be different today!

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    Guest anonymous

    Posted

    I found out I was a celiac AFTER I had my first child. She came out a whopping 10lbs! now I'm pregnant again and I'm going gluten free. (my first child unfortunately has been diagnosed with autism. :( BUT! this time I know that I do have problems with wheat and have swore completely off! Whatever I have to do to keep my kids safe and healthy I will do. I just hope THIS kid isn't bigger than my last one!.

    I have undiagnosed celiacs disease or gluten intolerance and now follow a strict gluten free diet. My brother had years of GI problems and many second opinions by doctors he finally found one who said "celiac disease". In his case, celiac sprue. Our whole family started looking into similar symptoms we were having, and my other brother was then diagnosed, and myself, self diagnosed. Here is my story.

    I was always very small and menstruation came at 17. I started having debilitating brain fog, loss of concentration and was told by doctors I was depressed. I knew they were wrong and learned to deal with it the best I could, but the fog made me have anxiety and lose self confidence because I thought I was losing my brain. I married at 24 and pregnancy came within a year. No problems conceiving. I had inter-uturine growth retardation, and my son was born very small. I gained little weight and had a very unhealthy pregnancy. two years later I conceived my second child. seemingly a healthy pregnancy, gained 45 lbs and gave birth to a full term boy 7lbs5oz., who at age 2 was diagnosed with autism. I had no idea gluten was a problem for me at this time, however I had heard of Gluten-free Casein-free helping children with asd. It never crossed my mind until my brother who refused to give up, and an educated dr. brought it to the forefront two years ago. My children and I are now gluten free casein free. I, with no more brain fog, however, am in early menopause at the ripe old age of 34.

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    Guest Rebecca

    Posted

    I have a lot of family diagnosed with celiac. (one being my sister) I've heard it is hereditary and I have many symptoms so I went on a gluten free diet while waiting to get tested... When I was finally did get to see a specialist he tested (blood test) on my first appointment without any warning. I had been gluten free for about a year and because of this it came back negative for gluten intolerance. He claims it is impossible to be completely gluten free so he diagnosed me with irritable bowel with colitis and I have been positively tested with a wheat allergy.

     

    Anyway I took his advise and went back to gluten, and just increased my fiber intake. Well my cycle is all messed up and I have been unable to get pregnant so far so I'm going gluten free again. Hope it works!! I know I feel much better off gluten I don't need a test to tell me that!

    If you have been on a gluten free diet for a year before testing you can get a false result that you are not celiac, if it runs in you family and you still have symptoms I like irritable bowel then I would go to a gluten free diet anyways. Or eat a lot of gluten products and get retested to be sure. But if you feel much better off of gluten and have a wheat allergy then I would suspect that the test was incorrectly because of the low level of gluten in your system. I have heard that blood test are not very accurate to begin with.

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    Guest josie
    My second baby was born late at a whopping 9lbs 4 oz! My midwife was a little shocked that my baby was so big! I had been gluten-free for 2 years.

    How was a gluten free diet while being pregnant? I've been a celiac for 3 years now and been married for almost 2 years and we want to start trying this spring, but I'm scared of the diet while being pregnant and being clueless at what I can eat to give all the nutrients to my baby while I have this allergy...

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    Guest mirandahc84

    Posted

    Informative

    I've been TTC for years now and doctors say I'm fine! my bf however wont get tested because he already has a child and says "I'm fine because I already have a child..it's you"!!!

     

    Anyways... I just recently found this information about celiac disease and I think I have this because I have many of the symptoms!! I was wondering if the people who have been tested if your insurance paid for any testing???

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    Guest Jade

    I found out I was gluten intolerant 4 months after giving birth to my first child. I had the runs for 3 weeks and wasn't going away, had a blood test and was told I was gluten intolerant. I had the perfect pregnancy she was 7p 10 ounces, and very healthy. I followed the gluten free diet and diarrhea cleared up straight away, and when I have gluten I get a crook tummy, bloating and diarrhea. I have been following diet very strictly for at least a year, it took me 6 months to fall pregnant and I had a missed miscarriage, DNA turned into a molar pregnancy (fluid filled sacks), didn't find out until 3 months and had to have a curett, and doctor told me not to try falling pregnant for at least 12 months. I'll go through a natropath and do acupuncture next time any thing I can do to prevent miscarriage!!

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    Guest Leeanne

    Posted

    Wow, I just found out I have celiac disease and started a gluten-free diet a week ago. I have been TTC for almost 5 years with 3 miscarriages. And feel so hopeful that this may just be the answer to my infertility.

    I have similar questions.

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    Guest tamara lothian

    Posted

    We have been trying for a second child for 1 1/2 years now. my doctor is testing me for celiac disease. As a coincidence (or not!) I had been on mostly gluten-free diet when we accidentally conceived our first child...I'd love to hear anyone's experience!

    Hi, I am a celiac and I have been told that I might not even be able to carry a baby at all as I have had 1 miscarriage. I carried my baby until I was 3 months pregnant and I lost it and they are now having to test me for lots of things because no one in my family is a celiac at all and I been one for 18 years of my life and it is really horrible. I hope you conceive you 2nd child.

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    Guest Suzanne Howard

    Posted

    I was diagnosed with celiac when I was 3 years old, I'm now 27 have 2 children and they where both big boys. My eldest was 9 lbs. 4 oz. and I was 10 days over with him, my youngest was 11 lbs. and I was 13 days over with him. So I have found that with this diet you can get pregnant, and you can have very healthy children so long as you stick to your gluten free diet.

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    Guest SandraB

    Posted

    I've never had a celiac test, but I distend very noticeably if I eat gluten, rye or barley: I assume I am gluten sensitive. My pregnancy with my son who is Asperger's, i.e., autistic, was before this discovery, so I ate gluten throughout. I felt so tired at times it felt as though I was dying, and I was both hungry and nauseous all the way through the pregnancy - which would fit with malabsorption. My son tried an exclusion diet at 13 and found he gets stomach aches with gluten.

    One big Danish study (in 2007 I think) found that celiacs were three times more likely to have an autistic child. But of course the real risk would be the non-diagnosed celiacs and gluten sensitive mothers - no study has looked at that. Go gluten free before pregnancy, take vitamins and minerals, and up your Vitamin D intake. That should reduce the risks.

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    Guest Julie

    Posted

    I was TTC for a year, and my fertility doctor wasn't able to pinpoint what was wrong with me besides having an elevated FSH. She said I have about a 2% chance of conceiving with my own eggs, and should just consider adoption!

     

    I moved onto a naturopath a month later, and found out I had a gluten sensitivity from my bloodwork. I was then tested via biopsy and was positive for celiac. I stopped gluten cold turkey, and A MONTH later, I became pregnant! One single month was all it took to correct what seemed to be a medical mystery.

     

    If you're searching for explanations for your infertility and haven't found any yet, make sure you didn't overlook celiac!

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    Guest Cem

    This article does not answer any questions of what happens if you are diagnosed with celiac disease, are eating gluten-free and still can't conceive. When will someone ever broach that topic?

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  • About Me

    Michelle Melin-Rogovin

    Michelle Melin-Rogovin is the program director of the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program and a proud representative on the American Celiac Task Force. Ms. Melin-Rogovin has 12 years of experience in health care and patient advocacy, working with children and adults who face a variety of chronic medical conditions.

    Visit the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Program.


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