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

Sex Drive After Going Gluten Free


soulcurrent

Recommended Posts

soulcurrent Explorer

I'm in a period of experimentation and trying to determine if any outside influences are affecting my sex drive, which has always been quite low. Has anyone noticed any difference in libido after going gluten free (I'm hoping for up rather than down..)?


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



tarnalberry Community Regular

For me, my low sex drive was linked to low testosterone levels and dysthymia. It was difficult to get tested for testosterone levels when I was 23, but my gyn specialist for vulvar vestibulitis (the other, major!, cause for my low sex drive) was happy to test for it when I asked him.

Not trying to say this is the case for you, just putting in one of many suggestion posts. :)

OptimisticMom42 Apprentice

Now that I feel healthier and less tired my body is ready for some excitement but all this talk of rashes and poop has put the damper on the mental part of it :huh: There are somethings that my guy didn't need to know :lol:

soulcurrent Explorer

True dat :P

  • 1 month later...
Liveenjoylife Apprentice

I might add that after I went gluten free and my sex drive went through the roof. It is nothing like it was when I ate gluten. It has been a very positive thing for me, lol. :D

AndrewNYC Explorer

My low sex drive is due to being married for 2 years.

  • 3 months later...
WheatChef Apprentice

I'm about to reach the 3 week mark of my gluten-free life and right around the time when my mind finally started clearing up I noticed my libido sky-rocket. It's the sort of surge in hormones where you just feel the need to punch a hole in a wall but instead drop and do pushups or some other manly thing to use up some of that excess energy. I also find myself flirting almost nonstop with any new female I meet which was definitely not the norm 3 weeks ago.

Alternatively I purposefully glutened myself this morning (double checking, again) and my sex drive went from being high before I did it, to nonexistent. Looking forward to tomorrow when this can clear up some.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



  • 4 weeks later...
miaryan Apprentice

mine got better! i just wish my husband's was with me!!! and i'm newly married (7 months) guess honeymoons over lol

MRM Apprentice

mine got better but it's most likely because i wasn't a lethargic ball of sadness and pain. i have energy again and feel good about myself.

  • 2 weeks later...
MagpieWrites Rookie

Well, I can honestly say there are few things that will kill a gal's libido than being nauseous and tired all the time.

Almost a year now since going gluten free and, um... well.

Still tired. But grinning a lot about how I got there!

Added bonus? Hubs and I have been married for 3 years now, and I can honestly say we're having LOTS more sex than we did back at the beginning.

I'm not the only one that is tired and grinning..... lol

  • 3 weeks later...
GaryH Newbie

I'm about to reach the 3 week mark of my gluten-free life and right around the time when my mind finally started clearing up I noticed my libido sky-rocket. It's the sort of surge in hormones where you just feel the need to punch a hole in a wall but instead drop and do pushups or some other manly thing to use up some of that excess energy. I also find myself flirting almost nonstop with any new female I meet which was definitely not the norm 3 weeks ago.

Alternatively I purposefully glutened myself this morning (double checking, again) and my sex drive went from being high before I did it, to nonexistent. Looking forward to tomorrow when this can clear up some.

This has been almost exactly my experience: right around the time I started sleeping soundly, jumping out of bed in the mornings, and feeling shockingly alert (most shocking is that dull mental state I'd apparently grown used to over the years) is when I found my libido coming back, just as welcome and sudden as these other great developments. Spot-on with the pushups and other manly things, ha -- I felt totally drained halfway through my workouts before; now I just feel energized and hungry for more (I imagine this will only help with proper hormonal balance in the future). Oh, and I am definitely more given to flirting as well.

I'm only just getting into my mid-20s, but I haven't felt like this since I was a teen. No more glutenings for me, that's for sure!

  • 2 weeks later...
conniebky Collaborator

Well, yep, yep, I have been single for about a year. Want to be single. I will have been gluten free for ONE WEEK TOMORROW! Yay me!

Already, this notions are creeping into my mind.....you know....notions..... B)

So, yes, I agree with most everyone else, lack of gluten gets your feelings cookin!

  • 2 years later...
wonderingman Newbie

I have gone gluten free and have been for the last 2 months now and my libido is gone, it has done a complete vanishng act. I am taing vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, and probiotics. Still no response from my sex drive. I am otherwise healthy and 35 years old and noticed this only after going gluten-free. My lab work from the endo came back last week and says all is normal. No thyroid issues, cortisol levels are normal too.

 

So does anyone on here know when this side effect will go away? I have read that gluten antibodies become half after 3 months after going gluten free and then another three months those antibodies become half and so on. This process could take 6-9 months from what I read. Some people say recovery depends on the person. If anyone knows more or has gone through this libido crash after going glute-free, please send a message. I really need your sound advise. Thank you -

foam Apprentice

I'm still waiting for my teenage hormones to calm down and I'm 41... Apparently high levels of Histamine will do that to you. Gluten free or not hasn't changed anything as far as that goes. Now these vitamins affect most things but B12 is especailly important to a male regarding sexual performance, Vitamin D also but a B12 shot will make you super human for a week or so. Don't bother will pills for B12, the injections work and work within a few hours.

pricklypear1971 Community Regular

AI diseases take a toll on many systems- including hormones. Personally, my estrogen/progesterone/testosterone were (are?) out of whack, which affects libido.

Have they checked your testosterone/progesterone/estrogen? Yes, men have estrogen and progesterone.

I don't know why going gluten-free can cause such a shift in other body systems, or cause things to happen that haven't happened before. But it does. Some are good, some not so good.

  • 2 weeks later...
EmiPark210 Contributor

It might be related to just overall nutrition, which is of course affected by your celiacs. I've always had a ridiculously high drive which gets worse when I exercise (so this thread is a little scary) but my boyfriend was naturally malnourished due to other factors and once he got that straightened out he came up more to my level. So it's logical that going gluten-free will help.

  • 1 month later...
wonderingman Newbie

Its been 3 months, gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free. My libido is Gone!. Please anyone whenwillit come back?My labs from the doctor are normal, as in thyroid and cortisol. What is the time frame?

kareng Grand Master

Its been 3 months, gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free. My libido is Gone!. Please anyone whenwillit come back?My labs from the doctor are normal, as in thyroid and cortisol. What is the time frame?

Maybe it has nothing to do with gluten? Have you told your doctor about this? Had testosterone tested? A side effect of a medication for other medical issue? Maybe google this and find some reputable sites like Mayo clinic and see what they say.

  • 1 year later...
Simon-Australia Newbie

I noticed a massive improvement in my sex drive after going 100% gluten free - it took around 5 weeks before I began to notice a difference.   It's probably important to point out that I was and still am very strict with my gluten-free regimen so I am guessing this is why I noticed such an improvement.  My own research tells me that the reason for the improvement is that the hardening in my arteries has reversed significantly. Apparently, repeated consumption of wheat accelerates glycation which contributes to artery hardening.  

 

I would recommend for any guy who with erectile disfunction and low libido to consider going 100% gluten free as a 6 week trial - just to test out the results.

 

Another benefit to going gluten free is my pot belly is gone, gone, gone - after all these years my stomach is now flat!

Archived

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

  • 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. - GlorietaKaro replied to GlorietaKaro's topic in Super Sensitive People
      3

      Am I nuts?

    2. - trents replied to GlorietaKaro's topic in Super Sensitive People
      3

      Am I nuts?

    3. - lalan45 replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      29

      My journey is it gluten or fiber?

    4. - Russ H posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      0

      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

    5. - Scott Adams replied to JoJo0611's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      Just diagnosed today

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,806
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    IleneG
    Newest Member
    IleneG
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • GlorietaKaro
      Thanks to both of you for your responses!  Sadly, even after several years of very strict gluten avoidance, I remember the symptoms well enough that I am too frightened to risk a gluten challenge— heartbeat and breathing problems are scary— Scott, thank you for the specific information— I will call around in the new year to see if I can find anyone. In the meantime, I will carry on has I have been— it’s working! Thanks also for the validation— sometimes I just feel crushed by disbelief. Not enough to make me eat gluten though—
    • trents
      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @GlorietaKaro! As Scott indicated, without formal testing for celiac disease, which would require you to have been consuming generous amounts of gluten daily for weeks, it would be not be possible to distinguish whether you have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). Their symptoms overlap. The difference being that celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the lining of the small bowel. We actually no more about celiac disease than we do about NCGS, the mechanism of the latter being more difficult to classify. There are specific antibody tests for celiac disease diagnosis and there is also the endoscopy/biopsy of the small bowel lining. Currently, there are no tests to diagnose NCGS. Celiac disease must first ruled out. Researchers are working on developing testing methods to diagnose celiac disease that do not require a "gluten challenge" which is just out of the question for so many because it poses serious, even life-threatening, health risks. But we aren't there yet.
    • lalan45
      That’s really frustrating, I’m sorry you went through that. High fiber can definitely cause sudden stomach issues, especially if your body isn’t used to it yet, but accidental gluten exposure can feel similar. Keeping a simple food/symptom journal and introducing new foods one at a time can really help you spot patterns. You’re already doing the right things with cleaning and separating baking—also watch shared toasters, cutting boards, and labels like “may contain.”
    • Russ H
      I thought this might be of interest regarding anti-EMA testing. Some labs use donated umbilical cord instead of monkey oesophagus. Some labs just provide a +ve/-ve test result but others provide a grade by testing progressively diluted blood sample. https://www.aesku.com/index.php/ifu-download/1367-ema-instruction-manual-en-1/file Fluorescence-labelled anti-tTG2 autoantibodies bind to endomysium (the thin layer around muscle fibres) forming a characteristic honeycomb pattern under the microscope - this is highly specific to coeliac disease. The binding site is extracellular tTG2 bound to fibronectin and collagen. Human or monkey derived endomysium is necessary because tTG2 from other mammals does not provide the right binding epitope. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/3/1012
    • Scott Adams
      First, please know that receiving two diagnoses at once, especially one you've never heard of, is undoubtedly overwhelming. You are not alone in this. Your understanding is correct: both celiac disease and Mesenteric Panniculitis (MP) are considered to have autoimmune components. While having both is not extremely common, they can co-occur, as chronic inflammation from one autoimmune condition can sometimes be linked to or trigger other inflammatory responses in the body. MP, which involves inflammation of the fat tissue in the mesentery (the membrane that holds your intestines in place), is often discovered incidentally on scans, exactly as in your case. The fact that your medical team is already planning follow-up with a DEXA scan (to check bone density, common after a celiac diagnosis) and a repeat CT is a very proactive and prudent approach to monitoring your health. Many find that adhering strictly to the gluten-free diet for celiac disease helps manage overall inflammation, which may positively impact MP over time. It's completely normal to feel uncertain right now. Your next steps are to take this one day at a time, focus on the gluten-free diet as your primary treatment for celiac, and use your upcoming appointments to ask all your questions about MP and what the monitoring plan entails. This dual diagnosis is a lot to process, but it is also the starting point for a managed path forward to better health. This article has some detailed information on how to be 100% gluten-free, so it may be helpful (be sure to also read the comments section.):    
×
×
  • 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.