Birth Control Pill Affected By Gluten Free Diet?

[nschicago11]

I'm a 23 year old female and I was diagnosed with celiac disease and started a gluten free diet almost two months ago. Can going gluten free affect how your body responds to the birth control pill? Last month, my first cycle after the diet change, I had worse PMS symptoms than usual and my period came a week early. This month, I've been cramping two weeks before my period is due, and that has never happened to me. Can this be due to the diet change? Has this happened to anyone else? I'm calling my doctor this week, but any insight would be great!

[alex11602]

I'm not going to be a huge help because I don't actually know the answer, but I can tell you that it has been the same for me. I will be 23 in a few months and after starting the diet it has been strange. Crampy for a few weeks beforehand and I started early this month and its been a little worse too. Good luck to you.

[nschicago11]

I'm not going to be a huge help because I don't actually know the answer, but I can tell you that it has been the same for me. I will be 23 in a few months and after starting the diet it has been strange. Crampy for a few weeks beforehand and I started early this month and its been a little worse too. Good luck to you.

Thanks - just knowing that someone else has this same issue helps! I'm wondering if I just need to try a different type of birth control pill or if things will slowly go back to normal. Thanks again!

[MrsTeamWilson]

This is something I'm really hoping to see a response on as well. While my intent from diagnosis was always to be gluten free, inevitably we all make a few mistakes in the early months. I was 'redosed' by accident via cross-contamination and not educating myself about Modified Food Starch and Soy Sauce three times. So it's only in the last month that I've really started healing. So I have two worries

1) Even if a pill is safe, in the case of accidental 'reglutenizing' is it basically the same as missing a pill - or two or three?

2) Is there a dependable pill out there that is verified gluten free so I do not have to worry about being dosed by my own medicine, or nonabsorption? That pill is soooo tiny. I feel like if there's even one flattened villi there's no way that thing's getting absorbed correctly.

I've considered the Depo shot.. but I feel like I hear more about side affects from Depo than anything else (any experience or opinions in regards to the shot would be much appreciated as well)

Got my fingers crossed some ladies out there have some input on this! I can't wait to have kids, but I'd like another year or two of some good health before I go down that road!

[Strawberry-Jam]

There are other forms of birth control out there if the pill is not working for ya. IUD for instance. Or, if you're an all-natural kind of person like me (ha, I'm a virgin tho, what do I know) there is natural family planning. Takes some self-control tho.

I never liked the idea of the birth control pill... messing around with hormones... no one knows what is the long-term effects of constant usage. idk. There's a lot of birth control choices, just saying, if the pill isn't working or if you're afraid of it not working.

[ciavyn]

Oh, dear Strawberry -- Natural Family Planning is called that for a reason! Because you will end up with one! I haven't had any issues since going gluten free, and actually, my periods have been better. However, this is such an unpredictable disease, it's hard to say. Keep an eye on it though. And as Strawberry pointed out, there are other options if you are starting to have a poor response with the pill. I am on Yaz, and as of right now, have no problems.

[Strawberry-Jam]

haha, yeah. Natural family planning does have a very high success rate, though, but only if you follow the prescriptions to the letter. I'm not talking about the calendar method, btw. It's about fertility mapping (using body temperature, mucus consistency, etc) and only well, you know, during your nonfertile days.