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Missed/late Periods After Going Gluten Free?

nw0528

By nw0528
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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nw0528 Apprentice
nw0528
Posted

I went gluten free a few weeks ago. Now, I am a week late for my period. I have NEVER missed a period - even when traveling/great stress, fluctuations in weight, etc. (except of course when pregnant or breastfeeding). My husband has had a vasectomy (last year) and they confirmed the procedure had worked. So, I'm not worried about being pregnant, but rather puzzled as to why it is late/missed. I am NOT underweight (about 30 pounds too heavy actually, but that is not a recent gain).

Could this late/missed period have anything to do with going gluten free? Just curious if anyone else has experienced this at all?

Thanks,!

Nicole

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Mother of Jibril Enthusiast
Mother of Jibril
Posted

How old are you? Could you be starting menopause? I've been reading about this lately... most women go through menopause in their early 50s, but you can experience symptoms for as long as ten years before that happens! Also... premature ovarian failure (aka premature menopause) tends to cluster with celiac disease and hypothyroidism. In extreme cases you can go through menopause when you're still a teenager :blink:

Here's one of the more helpful websites I've found:

http://www.earlymenopause.com/

nw0528 Apprentice
nw0528
Posted
  • Author

I'm only 34, so I doubt it would be menopause... I hadn't heard about premature ovarian failure.

Wouldn't you know I just had my annual exam a month ago and besides being anemic and talking about my GI symptoms and possible celiac, there weren't any other concerns. Wouldn't you know my periods would go haywire after the appt.!

Thanks for the website!

Nicole

How old are you? Could you be starting menopause? I've been reading about this lately... most women go through menopause in their early 50s, but you can experience symptoms for as long as ten years before that happens! Also... premature ovarian failure (aka premature menopause) tends to cluster with celiac disease and hypothyroidism. In extreme cases you can go through menopause when you're still a teenager :blink:

Here's one of the more helpful websites I've found:

http://www.earlymenopause.com/

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

How long has it been since your husbands vasectomy? It is not very common but the vas,depending on the technique, can recanalize(grow back together). As we all know it only takes one. ;)

nw0528 Apprentice
nw0528
Posted
  • Author

Oh yikes! Let's hope not! He had the procedure a year ago, and "clear" samples (clear of sperm) within six months of that. Oh yikes!

Nicole

How long has it been since your husbands vasectomy? It is not very common but the vas,depending on the technique, can recanalize(grow back together). As we all know it only takes one. ;)
SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted

Don't pull out the pregnancy tests yet. When the body is stressed, it can sometimes delay ovulation which will, in turn, delay a period. I'm guessing your body experienced the same kind of stress mine did after going gluten-free and is just coping with the changes. I suspect it will right itself with a period in a week or two and then everything will get back to normal within a few cycles.

nw0528 Apprentice
nw0528
Posted
  • Author

Well...no period yet, but I did find a pregnancy test (one left in the two pack from when I became pregnant with my son three years ago!) and took it and luckily negative. Guess I'll blame it on stress this time and the shock of my body changing from gluten diet to a gluten free diet and feeling perfect and then back onto gluten for the endoscopy. It must be pretty mixed up!

Thanks!

Nicole

Don't pull out the pregnancy tests yet. When the body is stressed, it can sometimes delay ovulation which will, in turn, delay a period. I'm guessing your body experienced the same kind of stress mine did after going gluten-free and is just coping with the changes. I suspect it will right itself with a period in a week or two and then everything will get back to normal within a few cycles.
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ohsotired Enthusiast
ohsotired
Posted

Hi Nicole,

I'm 34, have been on the gluten-free diet since late August last year, and have recently begun my own trials & tribulations regarding my Auntie Flo. Started off on the gluten-free diet with periods being pretty normal except for the fact that I suddenly had no real PMS and none of the usual symptoms to let me know it was coming.

This last one was 12 days late before it finally showed up, with bleeding lasting 31 days. It just stopped about 2 weeks ago, and I'm having symptoms to let me know it's right around the corner. :(

In my case, being pre-menopausal is a possibility, based on family history. All my recent tests have come back normal, and my doc thinks my body is still trying to regulate things. Guess we'll keep a close eye on it and see what happens.

I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone with this - but it doesn't make it any less frustrating, does it?

Good luck!

MELINE Enthusiast
MELINE
Posted

Me too I have NEVER missed not one day my period, and immediately after going gluten free I started having the most irregular ones. Sometimes it would be 2 weeks earlier, other times 5 days later etc etc. I don't know why...

Meline

  • 10 years later...
Jazzy420 Newbie
Jazzy420
Posted

I went gluten free three months and i got my period the first month and it lasted three days and i havent gotten it since. I did a pregnancy test and it was negative. Could going gluten free have caused this? 

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted
1 hour ago, Jazzy420 said:

I went gluten free three months and i got my period the first month and it lasted three days and i havent gotten it since. I did a pregnancy test and it was negative. Could going gluten free have caused this? 

Hard to say without more information.  It would be highly unlikely that going gluten free would cause you to skip periods as you are just cutting out three grains: wheat, barley and rye.  

 Why did you go gluten free?  Have you been tested for celiac disease?  Untreated celiac disease has been known to cause fertility issues.  

It often takes up to a year to heal and/or master the gluten free diet.  Maybe you have not been really gluten free?  

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