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    Destiny Stone
    Destiny Stone

    The Celiac Disease and Reproductive Health Connection

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Celiac.com 08/16/2010 - There have been a number of studies connecting celiac disease with  impairments in women's reproductive health, including such disorders as infertility, delayed puberty, amenorrhea, and early menopause. Associations between celiac disease and oligomenorrhea, hypomenorrhea, metrorrhagia, and dysmenorrhea have also been observed.

    In 2008, a case-controlled study in Italy was executed to determine the association between female reproductive health and celiac disease. The study evaluated 62 celiac women, and 186 healthy control patients between the ages of 15 and 49.

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    Of the celiac women evaluated, the average age when diagnosed with celiac disease was about 24 years old. Most of the women, 69.3% exhibited a bloated stomach, 61.3% exhibited anemia, 51.6% exhibited weight loss, 40.3%  exhibited diarrhea, and 17.7% exhibited vomiting as their main symptom during onset of celiac disease. 40.3% of the women evaluated claimed to have other symptoms at the time they were diagnosed for celiac disease, including menstrual cycle disorders.

    Of the celiac women evaluated, 47.6% reported that they noticed the onset of their menstrual cycle disorders before they noticed any other classic celiac symptoms, 28.6% noticed the onset of the menstrual symptoms after the  other celiac related symptoms presented, and 19% noticed menstrual problems at the same time as other celiac symptoms.  19.4% of celiac women exhibited menstrual disorders.

    Exactly 50% of the celiac women tested and 50% of the controls tested had been pregnant at least once prior to entering the study. Celiac women reported 63 total pregnancies and 49 of those were brought to full term. The control group reported 203 pregnancies with 179 brought to full term. While only 11.8% of the control groups pregnancies ended in miscarriages, 22.2% of the women with celiac disease had miscarriages.

    Additionally, the average birth rate of the children born from the celiac mothers was lower than the birth rate of the control group babies.

    This study confirmed the association between celiac disease and pregnancy disorders. However, there have not been enough studies yet to determine the exact correlation between celiac disease and female related reproductive issues.

    It has been hypothesized that the connection  might be due to the fact that celiac disease can cause malabsorbtion and therefor malnutrition in some individuals, which could possibly play a role in ovarian dysfunction. Although from this study and others, the connection between celiac disease and reproductive disorders has been demonstrated to be significant enough that women exhibiting reproductive issues are recommended to undergo celiac screenings.

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    Guest AEB

    Were the celiac women in this study following a gluten free diet?

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    Guest atieh ghavamiadel

    Posted

    when I got pregnant, at 30, I suffered sever asthma, with no past history of that, and I got relieved after delivery. 15 years later I diagnosed with celiac. I never tried for another pregnancy.

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    Guest Geeta

    I want to know weather the tested women were on gluten free diet or not, if you are on gluten free diet still you face such type of disorders?

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    Guest Teresa

    Posted

    Would love to know if one follows a gluten free diet, if these symptoms will still be an issue during pregnancy. I was diagnosed this past February with celiac disease. It's been a struggle to maintain a healthy weight (still under weight). I also have a thyroid disorder that was diagnosed last year, for the first time (underactive). I am in my mid-30's and do not have any children. I would like to start a family within the next year. But I want to be sure that the baby will not be negatively affected by my condition.

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  • About Me

    Destiny Stone

    I diagnosed myself for gluten intolerance after a lifetime of bizarre, seemingly unrelated afflictions. If my doctors had their way, I would have already undergone neck surgery, still be on 3 different inhalers for asthma, be vomiting daily and having chronic panic attacks. However, since eliminating gluten from my diet in May 2009, I no longer suffer from any of those things. Even with the proof in the pudding (or gluten) my doctors now want me to ingest gluten to test for celiac-no can do.


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