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

Infertility

Mandy M

By Mandy M
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

Mandy M Rookie
Mandy M
Posted

I was just "rediagnoised" last week with having Celiac disease. I had it as a child. I thought I out grew it so I went on my marry way eatting whatever I wanted. Well 17yrs later I find out that untreated Celiac disease can cause infertility. So I'm thinking that might be the reason I haven't gotten pregnant in the past 2yrs. So I was wondering did anyone else have this problem of infertility and if so how long did it take to reverse itself and you got pregnant? Its been along 2yrs and money wasted on fertility pills, and tests and I just want to know for sure if this is the reason i'm infertil for the time being! thank you for your time and efforts. :D

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


nikelodeon79 Rookie
nikelodeon79
Posted

My husband and I tried for about a year without success and then a couple of weeks after I found out I had Celiac and switched my diet... I got pregnant. It may just be coincidence... I'm not sure.

BUT I would advise one thing: get a handle on your new diet before getting pregnant. I'm 8 weeks pregnant and feeling quite depressed/upset about all the things I can't eat. I'm still getting used to eating gluten-free, and having to be extra careful because of the baby. Very stressful!

Mandy M Rookie
Mandy M
Posted
  • Author

Thank you for writing back. I was on the diet before so I'm hopeing that it will just fall back into habit for me. The hardest part is the cost of things. Oh well lots of baking at home. I can't wait to get pregnant. Thank you for giving me hope! Good luck with your child. I read that if you breast feed theres a lesser chance of the child having celiac. Not sure if thats true or not.

SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted

Well, no one can say for sure why you are having trouble conceiving. My husband and I tried for 8 years and went through climid, IUI's and when we went to try IVF, the doc's did blood tests that said I was in perimenopause at 31. They recommended an egg donor. We didn't have the money to persue it. 3 years later I was diagnosed with Celiac. (I'm sure I had it since about the time we started clomid. I suspect I had it since college and maybe since I was a kid). After 2 years on a gluten free diet, we conceived naturally. I'm certain that the gluten free eating was responsible for this baby.

I don't know if gluten free eating will be the answer for you, but being back on the gluten free diet will make you healthier, and if you do get pregnant, it will lower your miscarriage risk. Best wishes to you in your celiac recovery and in conceiving. I truly know how it breaks your heart every day waiting and wondering how and when your family will come.

Mandy M Rookie
Mandy M
Posted
  • Author

As long as I hear others stories of women with celiac getting pregnant I will keep my hopes up. I'm going to see a specialist in Nov. Hopefully I won't need too and be pregnant by then! Thank you again for you help everyone

Frances03 Enthusiast
Frances03
Posted

We had infertility for over a year, twice, and also had 3 miscarriages in a row ALL in the couple years before I was diagnosed. 8 months after being diagnosed, I became pregnant and am now 21 weeks along. No explanation was every found for all the miscarriages and infertility. I had lots of tests done. I am also 39, and this pregnancy is going GREAT. I had given up.

Mandy M Rookie
Mandy M
Posted
  • Author

Thats great! Congrats! I haven't had any misscariages. But just never getting pregnant. I'm on the diet now for two weeks and fingers crossed that it will soon happen.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


i-geek Rookie
i-geek
Posted

Thats great! Congrats! I haven't had any misscariages. But just never getting pregnant. I'm on the diet now for two weeks and fingers crossed that it will soon happen.

My husband's cousin is a naturopathic doctor and she says that on average, her infertile celiac patients return to fertility about 1.5 years after going gluten-free. I'm hanging my hopes on this. We've been trying (or at least not avoiding) for more than 6 years now. I've been gluten-free for 9 months, so maybe next summer it will happen.

  • 3 weeks later...
firefightersgal Apprentice
firefightersgal
Posted

I have been battling secondary infertility for two years in December. A year ago, we had a miscarriage and have not had a pregnancy since. I've been on Clomid many times (with breaks along the way). Everything appears to be working correctly, but I don't get pregnant. There was also no explanation for my miscarriage.

Someone posted an article on here a while back about gluten causing miscarriages in those with Celiac Disease. It said something to the effect that the antibodies that are formed when we (gluten-intolerant folks) eat gluten attack the placenta and destroy it. When I read that, it all made so much sense to me. We were able to conceive our four-year old daughter very easily and I had a fairly easy pregnancy. However, at my 40-week appointment, I was only measuring at 27-weeks. My doctor sent me over for a sonogram and it was found that my daughter did not have any amniotic fluid, so I was induced immediately. They examined the placenta after my daughter was born and it was found to not be functioning. I've read that adult-onset celiac disease requires some kind of physically or emotionally taxing event. Pregnancy certainly is hard on the body, so I suspect that my pregnancy with my daughter triggered my celiac disease.

I've only known about this since August, though, so I may still have a while before I'm able to get pregnant. I hope not, though!

  • 2 weeks later...
Mandy M Rookie
Mandy M
Posted
  • Author

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you. I hope everything turns out good. I'm on my second month on the diet and sadly nothing yet. I know I know it takes a bit for the body to bounce back from being attacked by the gluten. I see a fertility specialist on weds so hopefully she will help!

  • 8 months later...
momna Newbie
momna
Posted

HI All,

I have just been diagnosed with Celiac in May 2011 and stopped gluten right there and then. I too am having problems with infertility. We didnt have problems with baby number 1 who is now 10 years old but now two years of IUIs, injectibles (we didnt do IVF) still no baby. My RE said I have the perfect eggs as when we did the injectibles, I was able to produce 15 eggs! but then none was fertilized. After reading all your post I cant help but be hopeful that this could be the answer to my unexplained fertility. I had my first positive ovulation kit three weeks ago and my period is a bit delayed so I am keeping my fingers crossed and toes intertwined too!

Please continue to post your pregnancy success stories! Thanks! ;)

  • 1 month later...
Mandy M Rookie
Mandy M
Posted
  • Author

I have my fingers crossed for you. Yeah Its frustrating hey. Congrats on having one child. I'm still trying for number 1

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,551
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Newest Member

    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Taken Seriously

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your post demonstrates the profound frustration and isolation that so many in the Celiac community feel, and I want to thank you for channeling that experience into advocacy. The medical gaslighting you endured for decades is an unacceptable and, sadly, a common story, and the fact that you now have to "school" your own GI specialist speaks volumes about the critical lack of consistent and updated education. Your idea to make Celiac Disease a reportable condition to public health authorities is a compelling and strategic one. This single action would force the system to formally acknowledge the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, creating a concrete dataset that could drive better research funding, shape medical school curricula, and validate the patient experience in a way that individual stories alone often cannot. It is an uphill battle, but contacting representatives, as you have done with Adam Gray, is exactly how change begins. By framing it as a public health necessity—a matter of patient safety and protection from misdiagnosis and neglect—you are building a powerful case. Your voice and your perseverance, forged through thirty years of struggle, are exactly what this community needs to ensure that no one else has to fight so hard just to be believed and properly cared for.
    • Scott Adams
      Looking for a gluten-free roomie in Denver CO

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had no idea there is a "Louisville" in Colorado!😉 I thought it was a typo because I always think of the Kentucky city--but good luck!
    • Scott Adams
      Allergy medication: cetirizine by the HealthA2Z is it gluten free?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      Protein or fat?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      Diagnosed celiac for 1-2 months ago and everything makes me bloated.

      By Beverage · Posted

      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
×
×
  • 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.