How Long After Gluten Free Diet?

[frustratedpenguin]

This is my 6th pregnancy. My first two are miscarriages, the 3rd my son was born, 4th was miscarriage, and 5th my daughter was born. Now I am on my 6th and noticed that I am likely miscarrying again.

 

I accidentally noticed that I feel better on a gluten free diet. My husband has health issues, so we put him on a gluten free diet and so naturally, I began eating gluten free (easier to cook that way). After a while of eating gluten free, I noticed that every Sunday I would get that gross carsick feeling and terrible headaches. I couldn't figure it out for a long time; until I realized that every Sunday I ate gluten (potluck at church). I started bringing my own meal (for just myself) to church, and the problem went away (I also noticed that coffee gives me the same symptoms; but I was able to test each one and confirm that it makes me feel ill; weird).

 

I didn't bother going to the doctor about it because it's about a 1 to 2 year wait to see a gastroenterologist. And then even after you see them, it takes another 6 months or so to get tested for Celiac. And then after you're tested, it's another several months for the biopsy results to come in. My husband went back on eating gluten for that specific purpose and then tested... so we know about the waits.

 

So my question is, how long after being gluten free will it improve fertility? I have been gluten free for almost a year now. I was so sure this pregnancy would turn out well. :(

[GFAnnie]

I'm so sorry for what you're going through right now.  I don't know the answer to your question, but I once read a study (Sweedish, I think?) about pregnancy and celiacs, and in the study the women followed a strict gluten free diet for two years before getting pregnant to study pregnancy outcomes vs women who did not follow a gluten free diet. So perhaps there is some belief that two years is the reccomended time frame to allow your body to fully recover?  I would assume that is what the Sweedish scientists believed anyway. 

[Blueberry]

I am so sorry for your loss. I had been gluten-free (also self diagnosed in 2002, I know it makes me sick, so I stay gluten-free) for about 6 years before I met my now husband (married 4 years now!). We knew quite early on that we wanted to be together (I was 28, he was 31), so we didn't prevent anything. I did not get pregnant until we had been together for 7 months. I had started giving up by then, thinking I wouldn't be able to have kids. What I noticed though, after I got pregnant was that I had been taking a vitamin B6 supplement for 2 months when I got pregnant! So I looked it up, and apparently, vitamin B6 is linked with better pregnancy outcomes!  Then 6 months after my daughter was born, I got pregnant again, but it was a surprise. I started taking the B6 again (as I hadn't been taking it) as I suspected pregnancy, but I unfortunately lost that pregnancy. My next pregnancy was planned and I made sure I was taking the B6 again, and have a beautiful daughter. I got pregnant again when my daughter was 8 months old, but I had been taking the B6 supplement incase something happened again, and have a wonderful son! (So 4 pregnancies, 3 babies, and 1 loss.) For me I swear it was the B6 that made the difference, and helped. I also kept taking the B6 until the pregnancy was further along in case something might happen if I stopped taking it. I don't know if this will help or not, but it can't hurt to try!

[KLandry]

I am really sorry. But don't worry eveything will be fine.