Help Me To Understand My Blood Results

[eatlovehope]

I have been struggling with infertility for many years and I recently asked my doctor if she could test me for Celiac Disease, after reading a number of articles there seems to be a strong connection between Celiac & infertility.

My results came back as

Anti-Gliadin IgG: 4 units - negative

Anti-Gliadin IgA: 31 units - postive

Tissue Transglutaminase Iga: 7 units - negative

Interpretation

0 - 20 Negative

20 - 30 Weak Pos

>30 - Positive

My doctor advised that I may be Celiac because of the IgA result being positive and I have now been referred to a surgeon to have a Gastroscopy for a biopsy, however this isn't happening now until late January.

However I don't really have a great understanding of the results. If I tested positive to IgA only does that me I may be celiac or would I need to test positive to both IgA & IgG. And what about the Tissue Transglutaminase Iga were I tested negative, does that need to be positve too. I'm just a bit confused. Would appreciate any help.

Cheers

[ravenwoodglass]

You can be celiac and have all of those tests be negative. I would agree with your doctor that the positive IGA is a really strong indication that you are celiac. If you are going to have the endo done make sure that you keep eating a regular gluten filled diet until afterwards. Do keep in mind that the endos can also have a false negative so after the endo is done do get on the diet strictly for at least 3 months to see if it helps. If you are not going to go with the endo then go ahead and go on the dietary trial, at this point it is one of the best tests there is.

[laura4669]

First let me say that I struggled with infertility for many years as well, and my heart goes out to you. I ended up doing in vitro twice, and eventually was successful. I was never tested for food allergies through any of my fertility doctors, and it wasn't until several years later that I discovered that I have celiac and other food allergies. I am convinced that if I had fixed my diet earlier I could have conceived "naturally".

I also had a negative blood test and endoscopy, so I agree with the earlier post that says to try the gluten-free diet anyway (after the endoscopy). I was diagnosed with a stool analysis. I also have a friend who is gluten intolerant. She went through infertility for many years, and after discovering her gluten allergy, she gave up gluten and conceived within months.

I think you are on the right track. You might also check your thyroid levels, which can be affected by celiac, and can have an impact on fertility.

Best of luck to you!

[Skylark]

Anti-gliadin IgA shows that your immune system recognizes gluten as something to attack, and that you're probably celiac. Anti-gliadin IgG is actually not as specific for celiac unless you're IgA deficient so the negative result doesn't mean much. Anti-TTG is the autoimmune antibody that causes such trouble in celiac disease, and you don't have enough that it made it from your intestine to your bloodstream. That one has a pretty high false negative rate, since celiac happens in the gut and not the bloodstream. There is still a good chance you're celiac with the anti-gliadin IgA.

You do need the biopsy, and you need to keep eating a full gluten diet to get an accurate result. Enjoy those Christmas cookies for me! Once you've had the biopsy, it's a good idea to try the diet even if the biopsy was negative. You are almost certainly gluten intolerant and as well as the infertility, you may find other nagging health problems disappear.

[cassP]

i completely agree with everything posted above- great advice. plus- IF u do the endoscopy- make sure the doc takes MULTIPLE biopsies from different areas of the Small Intestine... if there's damage, it could be patchy & sporadic.

also- i second above-> definitely get your thyroid numbers checked... thyroid issues (in addition to gluten intolerance) can most definitely affect your fertility.

& i also agree, once you're done testing- DEFINITELY try the diet out... sounds like you have a good doc

[eatlovehope]

Thanks everyone for your reply. I was so confused was I or wasn

[cassP]

eatlovehope: what a great post- happy that your husband plans to be so supportive with u!

and DO get your hopes up... relax & put those positive vibes out there!

one thing with the thyroid-> the "normal range" of tsh up to 4.5 is not really current with what many endocrinologists are now believing. they now are saying the upper limit for tsh should be 3. i also read in addition to that- if your sluggish thyroid is due to actual Hashimoto's, then it for sure should be below 3. i have also read that it is possible for thyroids to correct themselves- especially after going gluten free... but this is definitely something you should keep checking with your doctor-> especially since you would love to conceive.

happy you are ready to do it even if your biopsy is "negative"