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Menstruation And Gluten And The Pill

klala

By klala
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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klala Newbie
klala
Posted

I'm on my sixth pack of birth control, so by now I would expect my hormonal stability to continue by this point. I got on it because I had ridiculously heavy period and horrible cramping and diarrhea and fatigue (symptoms relating to the menstrual cycles of Celiacs actually). I have ALWAYS had regular cycles, never a week early never a week late, and ever since I got on birth control I've had regular, light, cramp-free periods. This month, however, I got glutened by a pack Fantastic Foods split pea soup mix (it said processed on shared equipment with wheat, but I figured I'd try it --DON'T EAT THAT STUFF). Anyway, got my period a whole week early complete with cramps and diarrhea and moodiness and fatigue and crazy food cravings. I got off gluten the same week I got on the pill, so I have no idea what's causing what with my body.

I just wanted to see if anyone's gotten glutened and experienced a difference in their hormones and menstrual cycle that month?

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Guest missmyrtle
Guest missmyrtle
Posted

Hi Klala,

Whist I have no experience with the pill I have followed my menstrual cycle closely in regards to being glutened.

It seems to be related to the time of cycle since if a glutening happens pre ovulation then I often do not ovulate and have a shorter( often by a week), cycle.

This month I was glutened and had very severe pain, distended belly and nausea for a week and my period did not arrive until 8 days after it would normally.

In addition, I only ever have a hard time with PMS symptoms when my Coeliac is not in control.

I am very curious to see other thoughts on this topic as I have been trying to conceive and find this very frustrating!

hannahp57 Contributor
hannahp57
Posted

I have considered this opic before.. i worried that whenever i was glutened, taking the pill may not be effective since gluten prevents your body from absorbing nutrients. however i have been glutened a couple tiimes and my bc still seems to be working so that theory doent seem to be true. maybe your body just doesnt absorb the pill as well or just being glutened throws your whole system off balance. ieither way i hope this doesnt happen to you again! good luck

Becci Enthusiast
Becci
Posted
I have considered this opic before.. i worried that whenever i was glutened, taking the pill may not be effective since gluten prevents your body from absorbing nutrients. however i have been glutened a couple tiimes and my bc still seems to be working so that theory doent seem to be true. maybe your body just doesnt absorb the pill as well or just being glutened throws your whole system off balance. ieither way i hope this doesnt happen to you again! good luck

I have been on the pill for two years, and still not pregnant. I was not diagnosed until two months ago.

So, I think it gluten was going to cancel out the bc, then I would have had a couple youngins by now...

klala Newbie
klala
Posted
  • Author

I called the pharmacist today and I think the culprit in this case might be the temperature I've stored the pills at. I live in Florida; it's summer, and we don't run the AC. It's probably 95 degrees where my pills are and they're the chewable kind, and apparently they lose effectiveness after sitting over a month above room temperature. I don't know why I never thought of that. I have to refrigerate them I guess.

chatycady Explorer
chatycady
Posted
I'm on my sixth pack of birth control, so by now I would expect my hormonal stability to continue by this point. I got on it because I had ridiculously heavy period and horrible cramping and diarrhea and fatigue (symptoms relating to the menstrual cycles of Celiacs actually). I have ALWAYS had regular cycles, never a week early never a week late, and ever since I got on birth control I've had regular, light, cramp-free periods. This month, however, I got glutened by a pack Fantastic Foods split pea soup mix (it said processed on shared equipment with wheat, but I figured I'd try it --DON'T EAT THAT STUFF). Anyway, got my period a whole week early complete with cramps and diarrhea and moodiness and fatigue and crazy food cravings. I got off gluten the same week I got on the pill, so I have no idea what's causing what with my body.

I just wanted to see if anyone's gotten glutened and experienced a difference in their hormones and menstrual cycle that month?

the pill can cause bacterial overgrowth in a damaged digestive system. It may not be the pea soup that caused the problem - but then again it could hae been. If you continue to have problems you may want to look at the pill as the problem.

Here's an article:

In other sufferers, an outbreak of Candida can be traced to the contraceptive pill. The stomach is a delicate organ, containing a precise mixture of microorganisms and yeasts that help process and digest food. They depend on the right balance of chemicals to support them, but this equilibrium can be thrown off by the hormonal imbalances caused by the Pill.

By disturbing this balance, the Pill opens the door for Candida to once again outgrow its competitors in the gut. Estrogen, the major ingredient in the Pill, is known to promote the growth of yeast. If you need evidence of how this can happen, see how many women get regular yeast infections while on the Pill, its exactly the same principle.

  • 2 weeks later...
LBethanyC Newbie
LBethanyC
Posted

For as long as I can remember, my periods have been irregular. They are extremely heavy, and usually come every 2 and a 1/2 weeks as opposed to once a month. I also get horribly bad pains. In one instance that I remember quite clearly, I was rolling around on my bed crying my eyes out for an entire 12 hours, because the pain was so bad that I was vomitting and blacking out. My doctor ended up prescribing a heavy anti-inflammatory, which makes me a little loopy, but at least the pain becomes more bearable, haha.

I have never really compared these flare-ups to my gluten flare-ups. It may have a lot to do with it, since when I went gluten-free, I barely ever got those pains as bad as that time.

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