Sexual Disfunction And Celiac (female)

[hellokitty]

Hello! I am about to embark on my gluten-free journey as my New Year's resolution. Hopefully I can enjoy one last slice of pizza before I start

Several members of my family have been diagnosed with Celiac, and after several years of constant stomach pain (nausea, cramps, bloating, vomitting, severe diarrhea) and migrane headaches, I fear I have it as well. I bruise in a heart beat, I am always tired, my depression/anxiety has gotten worse, my bones aches and crack all the time, and now I am wondering if my recent loss of libido is not also related to Celiac.

I have been in a stable relationship for about 4 years, but over the last 18 months, I have noticed a sharp decrease in my libido. To make matters worse, when I actually do have sex, it can be very painful. Nothing makes me aroused, in fact, I dread having sex, even though I love my boyfriend very much. I have absolutely no lubrication "down there", which procudes a burning, chafing, and sore feeling upon intercourse. Not only is this extremely embarassing for me (I'm only 23!!), but I never had this problem before. It is really putting a strain on my relationship.

I have found some articles about a correlation between Celiac and dyspareunia (painful intercourse), but it was mostly medical jargon and not widely researched. Has anyone experienced something similar while still eating gluten? Or had any relief after a gluten-free diet? Any advice is appreciated

[dilettantesteph]

You don't see much talk of this particular subject in here. I did find some scientific articles out there and sexual disfunction is definitely a symptom of celiac disease. It has been for me and improves greatly after a gluten free diet, though I must admit it took months, I had forgotten it could be like that, it had been so long. The slightest glutening makes it come back, though not as bad. I had the same problems with not being into it, and it being painful. It went on for years as my stupid doctors never ordered the simple blood test.

On that subject, you need to be tested while still eating gluten.If you stop eating gluten before testing it can make the tests falsely negative. You should do it asap so that you can stop eating gluten and get better asap. One of the benefits to testing is that you can be sure that celiac is your problem. At the start of the diet there are so many issues and uncertainty involved that it is easier if you have a solid diagnosis.