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This Might Be A Sensitive Subject But I Must Ask...

Matchoo

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Matchoo Newbie
Matchoo
Posted

I have an intolerance to gluten and the other day it hit me that I never questioned such things as condoms. How do I know if lubricated condoms are gluten free? Does anyone have any advice/recommendations?

Thank you

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sandiz Apprentice
sandiz
Posted

try emailing the condom company. good question.

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

I have an intolerance to gluten and the other day it hit me that I never questioned such things as condoms. How do I know if lubricated condoms are gluten free? Does anyone have any advice/recommendations?

Thank you

This may be a sensitive answer but here goes....unless you are putting them in your mouth, you will not have a problem with lubricated condoms. Remember, you have to ingest something into your GI tract for a reaction to occur.

From a personal standpoint, this was my BC method of choice (when I actually needed to be worried about it!)and I never, ever had a problem with them, if that makes you feel easier about it! ;)

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Most should be safe but if they have a lubicant that has Vit E in it that might be a problem. Gluten can be absorbed through mucous membranes, as is seen through the use a rectal challenge in some countries rather than a lengthy oral food challenge for diagnosis.

If you have been using one brand and have had no issues like itching or irritation or mystery gluten issues then I would just stick with that brand.

plantime Contributor
plantime
Posted

My concern about gluten in the lubricant would be that my skin breaks out when I touch gluten. Definitely call or email the company and ask about it.

David in Seattle Explorer
David in Seattle
Posted

This may be a sensitive answer but here goes....unless you are putting them in your mouth, you will not have a problem with lubricated condoms. Remember, you have to ingest something into your GI tract for a reaction to occur.

This may be an indelicate clarification, but, ahem. Condoms have been known to be inserted into openings other than the mouth or vagina. :unsure:

And perhaps that 3rd possibility could be a particular issue.

It does seem like a call to the manufacturer may be in order.

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

While I'm not certain about it for the male, for the female, even "standard use" involves mucus membranes - the vaginal tissue can act as one.

Condoms are definitely an exception, even with "limited use" to the "only worry about what goes in your mouth" rule.

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Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

While I'm not certain about it for the male, for the female, even "standard use" involves mucus membranes - the vaginal tissue can act as one.

Condoms are definitely an exception, even with "limited use" to the "only worry about what goes in your mouth" rule.

I stand by my information on condom use and I would bet that if you told Dr. Peter Green that you thought gluten could be absorbed into your intestinal tract, via the vagina, he's probably be kind in his reply when he told you that's nonsense. The intestinal tract is a closed system with only 2 openings for use, with good reason. If someone has a wheat allergy, and we all know the difference between an allergy and an intolerance, that could be a problem because it's a contact issue.

David.....never thought of that but then again, it's not my lifestyle. You could have a good point there because it is the back door to the GI tract. It might be harder for gluten to travel upstream, so to speak, and I highly doubt it would cause harm but it is a valid point you make! :blink:

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

I stand by my information on condom use and I would bet that if you told Dr. Peter Green that you thought gluten could be absorbed into your intestinal tract, via the vagina, he's probably be kind in his reply when he told you that's nonsense. The intestinal tract is a closed system with only 2 openings for use, with good reason. If someone has a wheat allergy, and we all know the difference between an allergy and an intolerance, that could be a problem because it's a contact issue.

David.....never thought of that but then again, it's not my lifestyle. You could have a good point there because it is the back door to the GI tract. It might be harder for gluten to travel upstream, so to speak, and I highly doubt it would cause harm but it is a valid point you make! :blink:

It is not that gluten is being absorbed by the intestinal tract through the vagina. The issue is that when gluten comes into contact with mucous membranes the antibody reaction can be triggered. It might not make those that have GI issues sick to their stomach but it might flare other antibody derived reactions like in the brain, etc for those of us who got advanced enough in the disease to have autoimmune destruction.

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

It is not that gluten is being absorbed by the intestinal tract through the vagina. The issue is that when gluten comes into contact with mucous membranes the antibody reaction can be triggered. It might not make those that have GI issues sick to their stomach but it might flare other antibody derived reactions like in the brain, etc for those of us who got advanced enough in the disease to have autoimmune destruction.

I would say that this is not a Celiac reaction then.....by all accounts, gluten has to be absorbed into the GI tract for a true Celiac reaction to occur. This includes all those people who may be asymptomatic or have neurological associated Celiac Disease, referred to as atypical Celiac Disease. From all I have read, which is extensive, it absolutely has to get into your gut for the reaction to ignite. I'm not trying to sound argumentative but it's important for anyone accessing forums to get the correct information. This is also a very interesting theory! I could see if the mucous membrane involved were the eyes or nose, because they lead to the gut and that is a problem but the idea that gluten would spark an autoimmune reaction if exposed to the vaginal tract seems a reach.....a long reach. I would be very interested in any medical articles or other written subject matter backing this up. The more you learn, the better.

I also have autoimmune destruction and those including my thyroid and related to Sjogren's are quite advanced. Sjogren's can affect the vaginal tract and condom use was my main source of birth control yet it was never a problem for me. Nothing got worse and no symptoms were aggravated into action. I am not even sure if the lubricant would even contain a gluten component, though. Like dental related matters, it's a rarity to find gluten in these products so I doubt it would occur with condoms. As for other mucous membranes....I'm not gonna go there! :blink:

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

There is at least one study that suggests that mucous membrane contact is sufficient.

Open Original Shared Link

Ahorsesoul Enthusiast
Ahorsesoul
Posted

This is one medical area where a lot of people will be eating crow. Good thing Crow is gluten free....hopefully. Well, try to find a crow that wasn't just eating in a wheat, rye, barley, oat field.

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

There is at least one study that suggests that mucous membrane contact is sufficient.

Open Original Shared Link

This is very interesting, however, the question I have is that this was not a vaginal challenge.

The mouth and rectum are part of the GI tract so it would make sense that an oral challenge may ultimately be developed for diagnosis purposes because, as we all know, if it's your mouth on any level, it's in your gut. The same could be said, apparently, for the other end.

Ultimately, many, many Celiacs probably use condoms for their method of birth control and this has not been reported to be a problem. Everything I have read from a valid medical standpoint says it is not a problem. From a personal point of view, it was never a problem. I think it's just another area people worry about that they do not need to.

Ahorsesoul Enthusiast
Ahorsesoul
Posted

Everything I have read from a valid medical standpoint says it is not a problem.

At one point in history washing hands was not thought to be a valid medical standpoint. I think in the future as this problem is studied we will see a change in thinking. Too many people are reporting problems.

meatslayer Newbie
meatslayer
Posted

This whole threads takes place and know one even knows if condoms have gluten in the lube yet? I'd just go with I doubt it.... But I want to use my joke of it adds a new dimension to the concept of swallowing.

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

At one point in history washing hands was not thought to be a valid medical standpoint. I think in the future as this problem is studied we will see a change in thinking. Too many people are reporting problems.

I would tend to believe a published medical article or information from Celiac researchers and doctors over someone on a forum who says they reacted.

You are comparing apples to oranges here. Back in the day when they thought hand washing had no value was when medicine was, as we know it today, did not exist. It is much easier to determine whether a product is safe today, with all the information we do have from extremely reputable sources than it was many many years ago, when people knew diddly-squat.

I think most people are probably reacting to the latex. Latex has a high rate of allergy associated with it. Just because someone reacts to something in no way means it was gluten involved.

JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted

I would tend to believe a published medical article or information from Celiac researchers and doctors over someone on a forum who says they reacted.

You are comparing apples to oranges here. Back in the day when they thought hand washing had no value was when medicine was, as we know it today, did not exist. It is much easier to determine whether a product is safe today, with all the information we do have from extremely reputable sources than it was many many years ago, when people knew diddly-squat.

I think most people are probably reacting to the latex. Latex has a high rate of allergy associated with it. Just because someone reacts to something in no way means it was gluten involved.

I think maybe the handwashing allegory was a good way to point out that humans have a tendency to become immovable in their assumptions of correctness. We 'know' something is a certain way, and we refuse to accept even the possibly that it may not be that way. I try not to go down that road.

I would also like to point out that sex is a messy business, and a condom is frequently used in oral sex as well, so the question is most certainly valid. Sometimes people go for more than one round! Then there's all the flavored lubes and condoms out there. I have searched the site for Trojan and found nothing where I could contact the company, but I'll do some more research on different brands over the next few days and try to get back to everyone.

lakegirl410 Rookie
lakegirl410
Posted

It's funny, because I just thought of the very same thing, but in all my other "Does it contain gluten" questions flying around my brain, I forgot about the condom question until I cicked into this particular topic out of curiosity. Good info to have!

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted
I think maybe the handwashing allegory was a good way to point out that humans have a tendency to become immovable in their assumptions of correctness. We 'know' something is a certain way, and we refuse to accept even the possibly that it may not be that way. I try not to go down that road.

I think this has strayed so far off the original question and has little to do with the topic at hand. Most people always revert to discussions like these when their point of view is being challenged by more credible information. If condoms were such a threat to Celiacs, I would think it would be a topic for discussion in any of the valid books pertaining to this disease......meaning from those who study this disease for a living. The medical profession may not be good at diagnosing Celiac but I think they have the information on what is harmful down pretty good. I would never have made the recovery I have made if this were not true.

I would also like to point out that sex is a messy business, and a condom is frequently used in oral sex as well, so the question is most certainly valid. Sometimes people go for more than one round! Then there's all the flavored lubes and condoms out there. I have searched the site for Trojan and found nothing where I could contact the company, but I'll do some more research on different brands over the next few days and try to get back to everyone.

I never said the question was not valid....it is coming from a new Celiac. However, I urge people to use their common sense when figuring this all out. If anything goes into the mouth, it must be checked. I would be more concerned with putting latex into my mouth than anything else, though. Latex allergies are quite common.

JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted

I think this has strayed so far off the original question and has little to do with the topic at hand. Most people always revert to discussions like these when their point of view is being challenged by more credible information. If condoms were such a threat to Celiacs, I would think it would be a topic for discussion in any of the valid books pertaining to this disease......meaning from those who study this disease for a living. The medical profession may not be good at diagnosing Celiac but I think they have the information on what is harmful down pretty good. I would never have made the recovery I have made if this were not true.

I never said the question was not valid....it is coming from a new Celiac. However, I urge people to use their common sense when figuring this all out. If anything goes into the mouth, it must be checked. I would be more concerned with putting latex into my mouth than anything else, though. Latex allergies are quite common.

Conversely, if we've never seen it discussed by any of the professionals, there's no evidence that sex accessories DON'T constitute a threat. How many people have had mystery glutenings? Maybe it's just safer to ask. I am not 'most people' and I was not 'reverting' to this sort of discussion, I was joining one that had been started by you-all.

Back on-topic, I did find some unsubstantiated reports of condom lubricants being derived from corn products. The solution to this was to use Trojan unlubricated, but that wouldn't work for anyone with a latex allergy, I don't think there are any unlubricated polyurethane condoms out there, I couldn't find any. We use polyurethane due to a latex allergy and are limited in our use of them by the lack of knowledge of the ingredients in the lubricant. I have an email out to an edible lubricant manufacturer re ingredients, and an email out to a condom club in the hopes that they can provide me contact info to Trojan. I'll keep you-all apprised of my responses!

(Mods, please let us know if we get too TMI! I tend to overshare... :) )

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

, and an email out to a condom club in the hopes that they can provide me contact info to Trojan. I'll keep you-all apprised of my responses!

(Mods, please let us know if we get too TMI! I tend to overshare... :) )

A condom club Bunny? Do you get a new flavor a month? Seriously, this is a legitimate topic because the lubricant does get on hands. I never thought of this.

JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted

A condom club Bunny? Do you get a new flavor a month? Seriously, this is a legitimate topic because the lubricant does get on hands. I never thought of this.

HAHAHAHAHAAA!!!! No, it's just a website where you can get lots of different brands, buy in bulk, get discounts, and your stuff is always shipped very anonymously, so your box doesn't have a a big red CONDOMS on the side.

Mtndog Collaborator
Mtndog
Posted

Gluten potentially being in the lubricant is an issue because anything that touches your hands can get in your mouth. Unless you are 100% positive that you are not touching the condom with your hands (think about it- not so easy)can get in your mouth.

I have never had a problem but it certainly would be a valuable thing to know.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted
buy in bulk

W00t! Life must be good! :ph34r:

JNBunnie1 Community Regular
JNBunnie1
Posted

W00t! Life must be good! :ph34r:

:ph34r: :ph34r: :ph34r:

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