Are mood swings when first going gluten free a thing? Does it increase the effects of your ovulation cycle?

[goatmanvevo]

I got a positive celiac test 19 days ago and haven't eaten any gluten since then. I know that people tend to feel better after 3-6 weeks of being gluten free. So I'm about 2 and a half weeks in on being gluten free, but for the past 3 days, I have had crazy mood swings. 3 days ago i sobbed two times before going to sleep, and then the next day I woke up and had cried 5 times over a variety of topics and had a migraine from that (i did my best to drink enough water to make up for the crying but it probably wasnt enough). I fell asleep early (i normally go to bed around 11pm-12am, i fell asleep around 6 or 7pm i think). I woke up at 1am and laid in bed for a while but figured out I wasn't going back to sleep, and I cried over outside being pretty, and then I sobbed and had a dissociative episode out of grief, and then before I fell asleep I cried about being grateful for my loved ones. I am in the ovulation cycle for my period, but I dont think I have ever been this prone to crying during an ovulation cycle before. Can going gluten free effect your ovulation cycle when you have celiac? Or can mood swings be happening because my body is going through a lot of changes and isn't used to being not sick? any ideas and suggestions are appreciated.

[trents]

I'm betting your are in the throws of gluten withdrawal. Gluten has an opiate-like addicting effect and this is well-known by the celiac community. And being currently in menses is probably exacerbating the effect.

 

By the way @goatmanvevo, welcome to the forum!

Edited March 11, 2024 by trents

[goatmanvevo]

*Also want to note that I am autistic, and I know that premenstrual dysphoric disorder is highly likely to occur with autistic women (80% comorbidity or some nonsense). However, I'm a bit confused because the things I look up about PMDD dont seem to note ovulation as a particular issue...I always do heavy cry about something the day or so before my period, but PMDD happens in the week or two before your period starts as hormone levels begin to FALL after ovulation, not necessarily having issues during ovulation. But im curious if gluten free can lead to better fertility which could lead to more sensitivity to ovulation? idek im so tired

[trents]

By the way, I should ask you about your testing. What tests have been run so far? Blood antibody tests? Have you already been officially diagnosed as having celiac disease? Has there been mention of a second stage of diagnostic testing which consists of an endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining to check for the actual damage caused by celiac disease. If you will be having an endoscopy with biopsy you should not yet be starting the gluten free diet or your will undermine the results of it.

[goatmanvevo]

I took the Celiac -tTG, IgA which was looking for blood antibodies. I scored a 24, positive for Celiac (0-3 is the range for a negative). As soon as I saw the positive test result I stopped eating gluten. I had a doctors appointment about a week later, and the doctor was happy that I had taken the result so seriously and stopped eating gluten without her having to convince me. Im scheduled for a //consultation// appointment about getting the endoscopy with biopsy, and the consultation is March 25. I do not know how soon after my consultation the biopsy could be scheduled. I was under the impression that it was good to stop eating gluten for the sake of my health, and that eating gluten before the biopsy (i.e having gluten the day of or having gluten every day for a week before the appointment, something like that). When I tried to ask for details earlier, I was told that those details of whether I should be eating gluten or not would be explained to me at the consultation appointment 

 

Also (potential TMI) want to note that continuing being on gluten could be dangerous for me. The thing that got me finally diagnosed is that I had been chronically constipated for years, but for the four months before my diagnosis it had gotten worse with consistent blood on my stools. And then, the month before my diagnosis, it got even worse as I was having a bowel movement only once a week, and the pain and blood amount increased (not a horrific amount or anything, but the blood splotches had about doubled in size). I also developed something thats likely a hemorroid during the particularly bad month

[trents]

I understand your concern about the health risk you face with continuing to consume gluten. However, what happens when you go off gluten is that inflammation in the small bowel subsides and healing of the villous lining begins. It is the damage to the villous lining of the small bowel that the endoscopy/biopsy is looking for. They will send the biopsy off to a lab for microscopic examination, though if the damage is sever enough it can often be seen during the scoping itself. So, the question will be, how much healing of the villous lining will have taken place between the time you ceased consuming gluten and the day of the endoscopy/biopsy. And how much damage was done in the first place before going gluten free? Will there still be enough damage to show up when the biopsy is done to confirm the results of the blood tests? I think this is something you should discuss with your physician and with your gastro doc when you go in for the consult. The GI doc, especially, needs to know you have already started the gluten-free diet.