Celiac And Birth Control - Stopping Birth Control Made Symptoms Return?

[LeanneMarie]

Hi everyone,

 

I was diagnosed in November of 2013 with celiac and have been EXTREMELY strict (never ever cheat, possibly sensitive to trace gluten, etc.). I started hormonal birth control about 3 months after my dx and never really considered how the BC may be impacting my gut flora. For the last year and a half I've had my ups and downs of recovery; slowly figuring out what types of things are easier and harder for me to deal with or what creates symptoms. I decided recently to stop the BC, because I wanted to see how I felt physically without it. I didn't really notice much change except my face broke out from the drop in hormones.

 

So, in the beginning I used to eat gluten free oats all the time for breakfast, but haven't in probably 6+ months. Tuesday I ate them for the first time (around 8am), and woke up the next day with an awful headache (the type I used to get from gluten). Wednesday morning was the first day of my first period off of BC. My period was EXTREMELY heavy, and around 11:30am I started to feel kind of weak, faint, shaky, etc. I did not feel well. My cramps were really bad and I was losing what felt like a LOT of blood compared to how my period used to be when I was on BC. The rest of that day I was miserable, and chocked it up to an extra heavy first "natural" period off of BC.

 

However, Here I am 6 days later, still bleeding(!) and feeling light headed/brain foggy.The headaches aren't as bad, and I think are getting better. But every time I eat even a TINY bit, or drink water, I start feeling light headed again which makes me think this is more Celiac related and less menstrual or low-iron symptoms. Could it have been the oats? Is this just a side effect of a super heavy period in a sensitive body? I feel confused!

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Has anyone else gone off BC and had a celiac-ish reaction? Any help is appreciated, please let me know what you think.

 

THANK YOU!

-Leanne

[kareng]

Having a weird period after stopping birth control pills is normal.  Headaches can be normal for that, too.

[Celiacandme]

Are you anemic?