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

Ladies, Did Anyone Notice A Change In Your Menstrual Cycle?

mommyof4

Recommended Posts

mommyof4 Apprentice
mommyof4
Posted

Hi!

I am 7 months post-diagnosis...I'm also 40.

I am getting really sick the day or 2 before my cycle starts. Terrible pain in my left side & back...up most of the night. I had blood work done last week to check thyroid, vitamin levels...about 12 things. Everything is normal. Next week I am doing a "natural" test...urine & saliva to check hormones, adrenal fatigue, etc.

So, my question is, can the trauma on the body from Celiac cause changes in menstrual cycle? I'm not sure how long I was an undiagnosed Celiac.

My other question is one from fear...until I got sick this Fall, I was pretty healthy(so I thought). I have had lots of tests done...MRI's, CT scans, 4 endoscopys(I had a telescoping intestine along with the damage in my intestine). I am trying to be at peace with my body healing. I am getting better, but I still worry that the doctors didn't find everything. I never used to be like this & I don't want to turn into a hypochondriac. Has anyone else experienced fear during this healing process? I especially feel fearful when I have an off day.

By the way...haven't baked with regular flour anymore & am logging food.

Thanks...

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Little Feather Newbie
Little Feather
Posted

Wow. Just. Wow. I'm newly diagnosed, age 41, and was going to ask the same thing! I definitely notice a change - about 4 days before my cycle starts I feel pain in the area where my Dermatitis Herpetiformis rash :ph34r: "lurks" on my neck. Sometimes the DH will erupt into the rash. My skin gets super itchy all over, my scalp burns on fire, I feel like I'm being pin-pricked a thousand times over and over all night long in different areas, and really bad "brain fog". The worst is the disturbingly heightened sense of smell. It's so bad that I have to avoid all fragranced products at all times!

I don't know if it's changing hormones (pre-menopause), poor nutrition or simply from having Celiac.

I too worry about being labeled hypochondriac. None of my circle has any knowledge of Celiac.. To them I look fine but they don't know how miserable I feel. I also have a fear of being alone because when the DH flares I feel so sick with cognitive symptoms that I can't think well enough to drive my car.

I am comforted to know i'm not alone in this. I was so pleased and relieved to find this forum because I don't feel so isolated. It's a gold mine to me. I hope others will give their insight into this topic.

Christine0125 Contributor
Christine0125
Posted

Wow. Just. Wow. I'm newly diagnosed, age 41, and was going to ask the same thing! I definitely notice a change - about 4 days before my cycle starts I feel pain in the area where my Dermatitis Herpetiformis rash :ph34r: "lurks" on my neck. Sometimes the DH will erupt into the rash. My skin gets super itchy all over, my scalp burns on fire, I feel like I'm being pin-pricked a thousand times over and over all night long in different areas, and really bad "brain fog". The worst is the disturbingly heightened sense of smell. It's so bad that I have to avoid all fragranced products at all times!

I don't know if it's changing hormones (pre-menopause), poor nutrition or simply from having Celiac.

I too worry about being labeled hypochondriac. None of my circle has any knowledge of Celiac.. To them I look fine but they don't know how miserable I feel. I also have a fear of being alone because when the DH flares I feel so sick with cognitive symptoms that I can't think well enough to drive my car.

I am comforted to know i'm not alone in this. I was so pleased and relieved to find this forum because I don't feel so isolated. It's a gold mine to me. I hope others will give their insight into this topic.

I am 40 and recently diagnosed too! Must be a common age for diagnosis. I got terrible headaches and leg cramps during my recent cycle... Never had migraine type symptoms before. While the nausea which was my worst celiac symptom has improved dramatically I seem to be getting a bunch of other aches and pains. Ugh!

RashyA Apprentice
RashyA
Posted

Hi, I'm 25 and and am finally gluten free all the way. My last cycle was a week delayed and lasted like 14 days which never happens. I am usually always on the same day every month so I don't know if it's because of celiac or what. Maybe a celiac pro could answer this?

Cara in Boston Enthusiast
Cara in Boston
Posted

I noticed a change, but it was an improvement. My PMS symptoms got better, but strangely, my lymph nodes under my arms get swollen and painful in the days before. Weird, but after a few months, the pattern has repeated consistently. Not sure if changes are due to my age (45) or being gluten free (1 year).

However, I recently went GRAIN FREE (it was easy since I had already given up all the good stuff like real donuts and brick oven pizza crusts) and I had zero PMS symptoms - I was actually taken by surprise when my cycle started because I had none of the usual "clues." I have read that a low-carb diet can do that so I'm not sure if it is the elimination of all grains or the resulting total lower carbs that did the trick but I'm not complaining.

I felt much better after going gluten free, but I feel absolutely GREAT being grain free.

Cara

sce2012 Newbie
sce2012
Posted

I'm afraid all the time that the docs have mised somehing. I am two and a half mos. gluten free and not sure how much I have improved. I feel like the docs just assume that I am or will improve...same for others around me. This thing is a real beast...

Jetamio Apprentice
Jetamio
Posted

Hi. I'm glad someone posted this. I've noticed my cycle actually improving. My first cycle sans gluten was a little rough and two days early but I had been on tons of antibiotics pre-diagnosis and my doctor said it was normal to be off. Then, I leveled back out to my normal schedule and my PMS has been lots better. I knew my cycle was coming but the backache, cravings and irritability didn't come until my cycle started. Cycle length has been the same. I've heard that going gluten-free can actually help stabilize hormones and I'm hoping so. I'd really like to try for a baby here in the next year to year and a half.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Mnicole1981 Enthusiast
Mnicole1981
Posted

Hi!

I am 7 months post-diagnosis...I'm also 40.

I am getting really sick the day or 2 before my cycle starts. Terrible pain in my left side & back...up most of the night. I had blood work done last week to check thyroid, vitamin levels...about 12 things. Everything is normal. Next week I am doing a "natural" test...urine & saliva to check hormones, adrenal fatigue, etc.

So, my question is, can the trauma on the body from Celiac cause changes in menstrual cycle? I'm not sure how long I was an undiagnosed Celiac.

My other question is one from fear...until I got sick this Fall, I was pretty healthy(so I thought). I have had lots of tests done...MRI's, CT scans, 4 endoscopys(I had a telescoping intestine along with the damage in my intestine). I am trying to be at peace with my body healing. I am getting better, but I still worry that the doctors didn't find everything. I never used to be like this & I don't want to turn into a hypochondriac. Has anyone else experienced fear during this healing process? I especially feel fearful when I have an off day.

By the way...haven't baked with regular flour anymore & am logging food.

Thanks...

Do you have nightsweats too??

Sky Aura Newbie
Sky Aura
Posted

Hi, I'm 25 and and am finally gluten free all the way. My last cycle was a week delayed and lasted like 14 days which never happens. I am usually always on the same day every month so I don't know if it's because of celiac or what. Maybe a celiac pro could answer this?

My cycle has been about a week delayed for a few months, and the month before that it was delayed for 3 weeks. I am not a celiac pro, so I hope you get one here who can answer you. I have become gluten intolerant as of two years ago. I get tested for food intolerance every couple years so was fine before then. My periods have been regular all my life other than one time when I was doing a lot of physical activity and under a lot of stress. I'm 43, so it's possibly it's peri-menopausal, but I am in denial about that possibility. ;)

Calmom Apprentice
Calmom
Posted

It was definitely a change for the better for me. By the age of 26 I though I had gone through menopause because I completely stopped having periods. The Dr.s tested me for everything, tried putting me on hormones to try and trigger them ect. I felt like a freak, in some ways it was nice but deep down it frightened me. About two months in to being gluten free I started having periods again. Now almost a year later I am having regular normal periods for the first time since I was around 23. I am currently 32.

I assume it was caused by sever vitamin deficiency.

Rera86 Newbie
Rera86
Posted

I am 25 and recently got diagnosed with celiac, so this is all pretty new to me. I'm trying to get the hang of the gluten free diet. I did notice a change in my menstrual cycle. I have always have very regular cycles with migraines and cramps before I start and this was no different, but the cramps seem to be worse and I have been getting hot flashes which is extremely odd for me considering I keep a jacket in my car all year long! Cara, how hard was it to go completely grain free and is this similar to the paleo type of diet?

Di2011 Enthusiast
Di2011
Posted

Pre Gluten-Free my period was getting worse and worse. Pain, bleeding heavy and often over a week (not my normal), bloating etc. Within a month or two of going gluten free I noticed most of this had stopped. Now, 12 months later it is 2 to 3 days max. No pain, bloating etc. I am 39. I am considering doing a grain free test.

Archived

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

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

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,112
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Donna J G
    Newest Member
    Donna J G
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Wheatwacked
      Blood Test for Celiac wheat type matters?

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      In Europe they have banned several dough modifiers potassium bromide and and azodicarbonamide.  Both linked to cancers.  Studies have linked potassium bromide to kidney, thyroid, and gastrointestinal cancers.  A ban on it in goes into effect in California in 2027. I suspect this, more than a specific strain of wheat to be controlling factor.  Sourdough natural fermentation conditions the dough without chemicals. Iodine was used in the US as a dough modifier until the 1970s. Since then iodine intake in the US dropped 50%.  Iodine is essential for thyroid hormones.  Thyroid hormone use for hypothyroidism has doubled in the United States from 1997 to 2016.   Clinical Thyroidology® for the Public In the UK, incidently, prescriptions for the thyroid hormone levothyroxine have increased by more than 12 million in a decade.  The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's official journal Standard thyroid tests will not show insufficient iodine intake.  Iodine 24 Hour Urine Test measures iodine excretion over a full day to evaluate iodine status and thyroid health. 75 year old male.  I tried adding seaweed into my diet and did get improvement in healing, muscle tone, skin; but in was not enough and I could not sustain it in my diet at the level intake I needed.  So I supplement 600 mcg Liquid Iodine (RDA 150 to 1000 mcg) per day.  It has turbocharged my recovery from 63 years of undiagnosed celiac disease.  Improvement in healing a non-healing sebaceous cyst. brain fog, vision, hair, skin, nails. Some with dermatitis herpetiformis celiac disease experience exacerbation of the rash with iodine. The Wolff-Chaikoff Effect Crying Wolf?
    • jenniber
      Celiac support is hard to find

      By jenniber · Posted

      same! how amazing you have a friend who has celiac disease. i find myself wishing i had someone to talk about it with other than my partner (who has been so supportive regardless)
    • RMJ
      need help understanding testing result for Naked Nutrition Creatine please

      By RMJ · Posted

      They don’t give a sample size (serving size is different from sample size) so it is hard to tell just what the result means.  However, the way the result is presented  does look like it is below the limit of what their test can measure, so that is good.
    • knitty kitty
      Insomnia help

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @cristiana,  I react the same way.  Dairy consumption flushes out my digestive system within an hour, too! As casein is digested, it forms casomorphins that bind to opioid receptors in our bodies.  This is similar to digested gluten peptides being able to attach to opioid receptors in our bodies.   We have opioid receptors throughout our bodies including lots in the digestive tract. Casein raises tTg IgA antibodies just like gluten consumption does, which leads to further intestinal damage and continuing inflammation.  No wonder our bodies react to it by pushing the "emergency evacuation" ejection seat button! The mother of my childhood friend was British and introduced me to drinking tea properly with milk or cream.  I miss it so much.  And chocolate ice cream.  Not worth the after effects, though.  I've found taking Omega Three supplements (flaxseed oil, sunflower seed oil, evening primrose oil) helps shake those dairy cravings.   Green leafy veggies like broccoli, kale, and greens (mustard, turnip, collards) are great sources of calcium.  Avoid spinach as it is high in oxalates that block calcium absorption and may cause kidney stones.  Yes, more leafy greens are needed to reach the same amount of calcium in a glass of milk, but the greens have other benefits, like increased dietary fiber and polyphenols that act as antioxidants, reduce inflammation, and promote health.   Exposure to gluten (and casein in those sensitive to it) can cause an increased immune response and inflammation for months afterwards.  The immune cells that make tTg IgA antibodies which are triggered today are going to live for about two years. During that time, inflammation is heightened.  Those immune cells only replicate when triggered.  If those immune cells don't get triggered again for about two years, they die without leaving any descendents programmed to trigger on gluten and casein.  The immune system forgets gluten and casein need to be attacked.  The Celiac genes turn off.  This is remission.   Some people in remission report being able to consume gluten again without consequence.  Another triggering event can turn the Celiac genes on again.   Celiac genes are turned on by a triggering event (physical or emotional stress).  There's some evidence that thiamine insufficiency contributes to the turning on of autoimmune genes.  There is an increased biological need for thiamine when we are physically or emotionally stressed.  Thiamine cannot be stored for more than twenty-one days and may be depleted in as little as three during physical and emotional stresses. Mitochondria without sufficient thiamine become damaged and don't function properly.  This gets relayed to the genes and autoimmune disease genes turn on.  Thiamine and other B vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are needed to replace the dysfunctional mitochondria and repair the damage to the body.  
    • TheDHhurts
      need help understanding testing result for Naked Nutrition Creatine please

      By TheDHhurts · Posted

      Hi, I bought Naked Nutrition Creatine. It lists itself as gluten free but is not certified. (It used to be, but they dropped it in the past year or two apparently.) I wrote the company and asked them what testing results they had for creatine and they sent me the attached, which says the test result for gluten is <0.025MCG. I'm used to seeing test results as ppm, so I'm not sure what <0.025MCG means. Can it be converted to ppm easily? I want to confirm that it is safe to use.
×
×
  • 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.