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Accidentally Glutened While Pregnant?

Laennie

By Laennie
in Related Issues & Disorders

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Laennie Rookie
Laennie
Posted

Quick background-tested negative on blood panel but doctor recommended I start gluten free diet right after blood test. I did with very positive results. Since I started on the "Celiac trail" trying to find out as much information as possible my family & I believe that I truly do have Celiac disease even though I have no official diagnosis. After 3yrs of trying I finally got pregnant, had almost no problems & delivered by c-section at 39wks. Within 2 months of having him the GI problems kicked on, which is what finally led us to keep searching for a cause. Breaking my leg in March also had us searching for a cause of why I fall so much, which now seems to be answered.

Anyway in the past few months my husband & I had been trying to get pregnant again with no success. My cycle started suddenly being 3 weeks late to over a month late. I started working with my OB on a plan & just got to the point where I started clomid. I told my OB that we believe I had Celiac Disease & I'm not sure if he really knows much about it or not but he didn't say anything in regards to what we're doing. I've been reading in the last few posts on here how people recommend being gluten free a few months before you get pregnant & whereas I think that's a great idea we really didn't want more than 2yrs between our kids & we've already lost that opportunity so the sooner the better. Also I know that clomid treatments don't always work right away anyway so it could be several months still before I get pregnant.

So now to the point of my question. Does anyone know from any experience if getting accidentally glutened while your pregnant can cause you to lose the baby? I'm already very paranoid about cross contamination etc. We made a few mistakes in the first week of starting gluten free & the last time I accidentally did it to myself & didn't realize it until a few hours later when I was sick & trying to figure out why. We've been trying to be very careful & I think we're doing a good job because unless I get too much dairy I feel great with none of the symptoms I had before. I know I will be extra careful once I get pregnant anyway but I just don't want to be so paranoid about it that it stresses me out you know?

It kind of seems to me that the fertility issues affect you one way or the other before women get diagnosed. Seems you either have a hard time getting pregnant or you can get pregnant ok but just miscarry. I am very thankful that I was finally able to get pregnant once at least. But we're really hoping to have 1 more.

If anyone knows the answer to that question or has any input or advice I would appreciate it. I'm pretty new to this, have only been aware of Celiac Disease for a month & been on the diet for 22 days now. Thanks!

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tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

A single accidental glutening will not cause a miscarriage. Repeated exposure to gluten (if you are gluten intolerant or celiac) does increase the risk of miscarriage. Certainly don't freak out about a single incident, but do be quite vigilant.

Laennie Rookie
Laennie
Posted
  • Author

Ok thanks. I just wasn't sure. Like I said I was planning to be extra careful but I have still been eating out some. Only been to 4 places so far though, 3 have gluten free menus & I know that at one of them the staff was extensively trained & they have a dedicated kitchen area etc. The other is In & Out :) I have always liked In & Out but didn't eat there all that often but now that it's the only Fast Food place I feel pretty safe eating at I've had it around 5 times in a little over a week lol. As we're trying new recipes & alternatives I'm sure that eating safely at home will remain the main thing that we do. It's just hard with my husband's family because they aren't really "cooking" people. The majority of our eating out in the last few months has been with them. They've been dealing with my gluten free diet pretty well so far though, our first dinner together we went to a place with a gluten free menu & then the next two dinners my husband & I did the majority of the shopping & preparing dinner. Sunday we just went shopping together so we could make sure we got gluten free things that I could eat for Thanksgiving. My Mom even said she was making me a gluten free pumpkin pie :)

Thankfully if they were hesitant to believe this before I started the diet they're all pretty much on board & supportive now seeing such a positive change in just the few weeks that I've been gluten-free. I know it will get easier as this starts to become the norm for everyone.

Just of course, I was worried, as I always am about everything lol

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

While I was pregnant, I SIGNIFICANTLY curtailed going out - and we didn't do it much to begin with. Just two places that I felt safe with (sushi and thai). It meant more cooking at home, but it's worth it to be not quite so paranoid. :)

Laennie Rookie
Laennie
Posted
  • Author

Ya I figured I would probably try to not go out much at all but I'm sure when I get pregnant it will be real hard anyway this time. Last time I was either always craving Taco Bell or Weinerschnitzel or my favorite Mexican Restaurant. The only time I ever really craved anything at home was bacon, I would spend most of my weekend slowly munching on bacon. When I say slowly I mean like an hour almost per piece of bacon lol. I knew I would eat way too much if I didn't eat it like that so I'd end up only having 3-4 pieces each day lol. I never really cared for bacon before I got pregnant, now it's one of my favorite foods & luckily it's gluten free lol.

I imagine eventually my husband is going to start getting slightly annoyed & tell me I'm being a hermit again (I was kind of a hermit before my son was born, I never wanted to go anywhere & just started going out places again since he was born) but right now he's happy to actually be at home & he says he missed cooking. So we'll see :) I have no problem eating something at home if need be & then go out somewhere with him & watch him eat lol. Then again I say that now when I'm not pregnant lol. I always try to make sure I have something with me that I can eat no matter where I go so I'll probably just be carrying more food around with me when I'm pregnant :) But hey, whatever it takes you know.

SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted

I got glutened three times in the first few months of this pregnancy. I did them all to myself unfortunately. We ended up going back to a gluten free household. The first time was too early to feel baby. The second two times, I was just starting to feel baby several times a day. She stopped moving for about 4 days both times. I'm pretty sure she felt as crummy as I did. I didn't have any cramping or spotting or anything that made me feel like I might miscarry.

I would say get strict about the gluten now. It will make the cravings easier once baby comes. Make sure your Clomid is gluten free. I don't think there is much information about why one should wait or try right away. I think the reason waiting is a popular option is because it just takes the body time to heal and be able to get pregnant. If you are past the frequent mistake making stage of going gluten free, give it a try. If you need to move to more expensive fertility options, you might want to consider giving it a little more time. I was told I would need an egg donor. We didn't have the money and were not emotionally ready for that step, so we put the plans on hold. Then I got my celiac diagnosis, went gluten free for 2 years and Surprise! Little one was concieved without any fertility treatment.

Best of luck with your recovery and your fertility treatments.

Laennie Rookie
Laennie
Posted
  • Author

Since I started gluten free I've glutened myself twice. I've obviously learned from both of those mistakes so hopefully it won't happen again. Once was the mayo jar so we bought me my own squirt mayo. The last was just over the weekend, I thought my husband's drink was mine & accidentally took a sip. I was hoping that wouldn't get me but I had a little pain & stuff later.

I'm sure that I'll be really lucky if I get pregnant right now. I've finished my 1st clomid treatment & actually ovulating right now so we'll see if my family gets a surprise Christmas present or not :P If not we'll just keep trying. Hopefully between being gluten free & the clomid it will happen soon, but I don't expect it the 1st try.

We do still have gluten in the house & my husband & son will eat gluten cereal at home sometimes. Any time my son is eating anything gluten my husband or someone else feeds him so I don't cross contaminate myself. My mom & husband are pretty good about remembering to wash their hands between gluten & anything of mine. I think I've really only been glutened the two times by myself & not by anyone else lol. My husband knows that once I do get pregnant things will get more strict so I am hopeful it will all work out.

Thanks for sharing your experience & the well wishes :)

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