Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Is There A Connection?/female Question

Ryniev

Recommended Posts

Ryniev Apprentice
Ryniev
Posted

I've always had horrible, miserable periods with the most painful cramps ever. I've been off gluten for about 2 months now and when I had my last period, I barely even noticed. I had slight cramps, didn't need to dose myself up with Ibuprofen and take to my bed and the mild cramps were gone in about 12 hours as opposed to the usual 48. I wasn't mean and crabby, I wasn't bloated, I didn't have a lower backache, nothing.

In the past, my OB/GYN has prescribed medicine including anti-depressants, tested for fibroids and even suggested a hysteryctomy if it really bother me that much (no thanks). If tried fish oils, evening primorose oil and other natural stuff and nothing has EVER helped. EVER. Until I gave up gluten.

In short, for the first time in 27 years (minus pregnancy and breastfeeding) I didn't have to practically stop my life because of my period.

Anyone else experience anything like this? It was nothing short of a miracle for me. Could there possibly be a connection?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


BRUMI1968 Collaborator
BRUMI1968
Posted

I think that when I quit wheat and dairy two years ago, I noticed a change in my periods - even easier than before (I've been blessed with "barely" periods for some time now). Lately I've been getting BAD cramps for the first day (I'm a bit over a year gluten-free) -- but it could be the amount of eggs I'm eating. I once read a theory about how women should not eat the reproductive byproducts of other animals. So this month I'm going to experiment with the egg thing and stop eating them the week before my period.

Also, when I first went gluten-free, I thought my periods actually increased in flow a little bit the first two or three days. I thought it might be hormones evening out. But now they are back to practically nada...so much so that I can't use tampons.

Anyway. Yahoo for you! Periods shoudl not be miserable...they are supposed to be a miracle. Maybe living in a culture that frames them as punishment and a curse adds to our problems.

-Sherri

Rosewynde Rookie
Rosewynde
Posted

I'd been wondering if there was a connection too. My flu like problems seem to get worse the week before I start my period and only start getting better a day or two after. Supposedly from what I've read, when Celiac's Disease shows up latter in your life it's usually triggered by pregnancy, a flu virus, or some other major stress. Maybe the hormone swing and stress of periods affects it too. I'm not a doctor though so this is pure guesswork on my part ; D

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Hmart's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      13

      Is this celiac?

      @Hmart, The reason why your intestinal damage was so severe, yet your tTg IgA was so minimal can be due to cutting back on gluten (and food in general) due to worsening symptoms. The tTg IgA antibodies are made in the intestines. While three grams of gluten per day for several weeks are enough to cause gastrointestinal symptoms, ten grams of gluten...
    2. Trish G
      - Trish G replied to Trish G's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      10

      Fiber Supplement

      Thanks, that's a great addition that I hadn't thought of.
    3. trents
      - trents replied to Hmart's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      13

      Is this celiac?

      Other diseases, medical conditions, medications and even (for some people) some non-gluten foods can cause villous atrophy. There is also something called refractory celiac disease but it is pretty uncommon.
    4. trents
      - trents replied to kpf's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      15

      ttg iga high (646 mg/dl) other results are normal

      knitty kitty asks a very relevant question. So many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet or even a reduced gluten diet soon before getting formally tested.
    5. trents
      - trents replied to Trish G's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      10

      Fiber Supplement

      Another great fiber option is dried apricots. Four of them give you 3g of fiber and I find they don't produce all the gas that some other high fiber options do. They taste good too. Costco sells a large bag of them that are labeled gluten-free so you don't have to worry about cross contamination issues like you might in bulk grocery settings.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,349
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Lulu530
    Newest Member
    Lulu530
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Is this celiac?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Hmart, The reason why your intestinal damage was so severe, yet your tTg IgA was so minimal can be due to cutting back on gluten (and food in general) due to worsening symptoms.  The tTg IgA antibodies are made in the intestines.  While three grams of gluten per day for several weeks are enough to cause gastrointestinal symptoms, ten grams of gluten per day for for several weeks are required to provoke sufficient antibody production so that the antibodies move out of the intestines and into the blood stream where they can be measured in blood tests.  Since you reduced your gluten consumption before testing, the antibody production went down and did not leave the intestines, hence lower than expected tTg IgA.   Still having abdominal pain and other symptoms this far out is indicative of nutritional deficiencies.  With such a severely damaged small intestine, you are not absorbing sufficient nutrients, especially Thiamine Vitamin B 1, so your body us burning stored fat and even breaking down muscle to fuel your body.   Yes, it is a very good idea to supplement with vitamins and minerals during healing.  The eight essential B vitamins are water soluble and easily lost with diarrhea.  The B vitamins all work together interconnectedly, and should be supplemented together.  Taking vitamin supplements provides your body with greater opportunity to absorb them.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins cannot be stored for long, so they must be replenished every day.  Thiamine tends to become depleted first which leads to Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a condition that doctors frequently fail to recognize.  Symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi are abdominal pain and nausea, but neuropathy can also occur, as well as body and joint pain, headaches and more.  Heart rhythm disruptions including tachycardia are classic symptoms of thiamine deficiency.  Heart attack patients are routinely administered thiamine now.   Blood tests for vitamins are notoriously inaccurate.  You can have "normal" blood levels, while tissues and organs are depleted.  Such is the case with Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a thiamine deficiency in the digestive tract.  Eating a diet high in carbohydrates, like rice, starches, and sugar, can further deplete thiamine.  The more carbohydrates one eats, the more thiamine is required per calorie to turn carbs into energy.  Burning stored fats require less thiamine, so in times of thiamine shortage, the body burns fat and muscles instead.  Muscle wasting is a classic symptoms of thiamine deficiency.  A high carbohydrate diet may also promote SIBO and/or Candida infection which can also add to symptoms.  Thiamine is required to keep SIBO and Candida in check.   Thiamine works with Pyridoxine B 6, so if Thiamine is low and can't interact with Pyridoxine, the unused B 6 accumulates and shows up as high.   Look into the Autoimmune Protocol diet.  Dr. Sarah Ballantyne is a Celiac herself.  Her book "The Paleo Approach" has been most helpful to me.  Following the AIP diet made a huge improvement in my symptoms.  Between the AIP diet and correcting nutritional deficiencies, I felt much better after a long struggle with not feeling well.   Do talk to your doctor about Gastrointestinal Beriberi.  Share the article linked below. Thiamine, gastrointestinal beriberi and acetylcholine signaling https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12014454/ Keep us posted on your progress!
    • Trish G
      Fiber Supplement

      By Trish G · Posted

      Thanks, that's a great addition that I hadn't thought of. 
    • trents
      Is this celiac?

      By trents · Posted

      Other diseases, medical conditions, medications and even (for some people) some non-gluten foods can cause villous atrophy. There is also something called refractory celiac disease but it is pretty uncommon.
    • trents
      ttg iga high (646 mg/dl) other results are normal

      By trents · Posted

      knitty kitty asks a very relevant question. So many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet or even a reduced gluten diet soon before getting formally tested.
    • trents
      Fiber Supplement

      By trents · Posted

      Another great fiber option is dried apricots. Four of them give you 3g of fiber and I find they don't produce all the gas that some other high fiber options do. They taste good too. Costco sells a large bag of them that are labeled gluten-free so you don't have to worry about cross contamination issues like you might in bulk grocery settings.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.