Celiac Father- First Time?

[jhughes]

Hi, all! This is my first time here....I am looking for any information regarding becoming pregnant with a celiac father. I am non celiac, and my husband was diagnosed in 2000. I would like to know if should I eat a celiac diet during pregnancy? We are not pregnant yet, but I can't seem to find any information on this topic. All I can find is information on pregnant celiac mothers. I wonder if there is any research out there on what percent chance we have of producing a celiac baby?!?

[happygirl]

Celiac is linked to two main genes, HLA DQ2 and HLA DQ8. Your husband probably has one or both of them, and you very well may have one or both of them. These genes are common in America (about 30%) of the population has one/both genes, so obviously, having the gene itself doesn't mean that any one person will have it. Current estimates are that 1 in 133 Americans have Celiac.

You child to be could be gene tested right away, after birth, to know if he/she has the gene, thereby greatly reducing your worry if the gene test is negative.

I highly recommend the book listed in my signature. It goes into the current research on pregnancy, breastfeeding, etc. Gliadin (the problematic part of gluten) goes through the breastmilk.

Some families have multiple Celiacs, others have only one...they just dont really know why yet.

From celiaccenter.org (led by Dr. Fasano):

INFANT NUTRITION AND RISK OF CELIAC DISEASE: PROPOSAL FOR AN INTERVENTION, PROSPECTIVE, MULTICENTER STUDY

The Center is working to develop a major intervention study in neonates aimed at establishing whether the timing of gluten introduction in the diet of infants, genetically at risk for celiac disease, may affect the chance to develop the disease. To enroll in this study, or for more information, please email glutenproject@peds.umaryland.edu.

I also recommend

www.celiaccenter.org

www.celiacdiseasecenter.columbia.edu

https://www.celiac.com/st_main.html?p_catid...-55107584820.11

also:

Celiac.com 2/13/2003 - According to a recently published large-scale multi-year and multi-center study, 1 in 133, or a total of 2,131,019 Americans have celiac disease. Alessio Fasano, MD, et. al., and colleagues screened 13,145 subjects using serum antigliadin antibodies and anti–endomysial antibodies (EMA). Those who had positive EMA results were screened again for human tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies and celiac disease-associated human leukocyte antigen DQ2/DQ8 haplotypes, and when possible, intestinal biopsies were also given. Additionally, for those with biopsy-proven celiac disease, 4,508 first-degree relatives and 1,275 second-degree relatives were also screened for the disease. A total of 3,236 symptomatic patients and 4,126 not-at-risk individuals were screened.

The study determined the following:

Group Prevalence

First degree relatives 1 in 22

Second-degree relatives 1 in 39

Symptomatic patients 1 in 56

Not-at-risk individuals (overall prevalence) 1 in 133

These results are much higher than previous studies have found, and they indicate that celiac disease is perhaps the most common genetic disorder in the United States, as well as one of the most poorly diagnosed diseases.

[Suzie-GFfamily]

The statistics from the study that Happygirl mentioned seem to be the best that are available at the moment.

There is less than a 1% chance of developing celiac disease for a person in the general population. People with a first degree relative (such as a parent) have an increased risk- estimates suggest about 5-10% chance- but the majority of people with a 1st degree relative do not develop the disease.

I don't think there have been any research studies (at least I've never seen any studies) to see if there is a difference in the development of celiac disease for a baby who is in an at-risk group if the mother avoids gluten during pregnancy. I don't know if it would make a difference (either decrease or increase the chance of developing the disease) or not?

[lovegrov]

If you decide to do the genetic testing, remember that a positive doesn't guarantee your child will develop celiac. Many, many people have one of the genes and never have celiac.

richard

[kbtoyssni]

I don't have any studies to back this up, but I wouldn't think there's anything you can do to lessen the risk of your child having celiac. It's genetic - if he/she gets the gene he/she will be predisposed to getting it. The one thing I like about celiac as opposed to other diseases is that it's treatable and certainly not a death sentence. If your child does have it, he/she will probably be just as healthy if not healthier than other children.

[Suzie-GFfamily]

I don't have any studies to back this up, but I wouldn't think there's anything you can do to lessen the risk of your child having celiac. It's genetic - if he/she gets the gene he/she will be predisposed to getting it. The one thing I like about celiac as opposed to other diseases is that it's treatable and certainly not a death sentence. If your child does have it, he/she will probably be just as healthy if not healthier than other children.

One thing that seems to be beneficial is breastfeeding, especially if the mother continues to breastfeed while her child is introduced to gluten-containing foods.

Suzie

[Nancym]

Just a FYI, lots of parents of gluten sensitive children think their kids are getting gluten through breast milk, even though doctors say they can't. They just notice stomach/intestinal symptoms getting worse when Mom is eating gluten.

If it were me... I'd probably not eat gluten. There's just too much that I think is unknown or known wrongly.