Ceoliacs and Infertility

Ok I need as much information as possible on ceoliacs and how it can affect TTC. I am seriously freaking out. i am a ceoliac, and i was concerned about folate, vitamins etc, so i was on the net checking things out, when i came across quite a few pages that links ceoliacs to infertitlity and misscarriage. HELP! I cant find anymore information about this. I am really worried now that I wont be able to conceive.. I had a misscarriage last year and a suspected one the year before. At the time I thought I lost them due to other reasons, as I wasnt diagnosed at the time, so i had no reason to think otherwise.. Now I am wondering if I lost them due to ceoliacs???

Any information, advice would be greatly appreciated. I am really scared this might affect my chances of TTC. :dunno:

I've heard of this before Elyse I don't know tons about it but I know there is a suspected link.

Coeliac disease runs in my family, I don't have it but a couple of my aunt's do. One of them had a few miscarriages but she also had two full term pregnancies that were normal and uneventful. The second one though, the placenta was very small and she was told that it was probably related to coeliac.

I'd encourage you to do some research because not alot of obstetricians would be really up on the link so if you educate yourself that's the most proactive thing you can do.

Good luck ttc.

I know it runs in my family (my mum has it and we have all been tested also - my sister and I don't have it). My mum had three perfectly normal pregnancies - no miscarriages, I've had two normal ones, no miscarriages, but my sister (who was tested but was in the clear) has had five pregnancies, three fullterm, one stillborn, and one miscarriage.

So don't know if there is a link or not, but doesn't seem to be from my family history? (Actually, the biggest link in my family for anything weird relating to miscarriage, is that my grandmother, my cousin and my sister all have/had trouble with their pregnancies going full term - and they all have auburn hair... mmMMmmmm.. interesting.. ;))

Good luck TTC. Hopefully the link is just a coincidence.

Thank you so much for putting my mind at ease. I just freaked out I guess. I have just been to the doc (i had an appointment anyway today) and she didnt seem to know anything about a link but refered me to a gyno/obgyn so I will ask them. I am hoping that it was just a co-incidence about the M/C,I wasnt diagnosed with ceoliacs at the time, but i was suffering from it very badly at the time. The MC could have been from the reasons that I orginially thought, or it may have been because i was quite underweight at the time because of the undiagnosed celiacs.

Talking to my doc put my mind at ease a bit though. My thoery is, she is a doctor so if it was a defiant link between the 2 she would know about it, so maybe it is rarer symptom?? Plus my ceolics is very much undercontrol now and I have put all the wight back on, and dont have many dramas from it at all...

i think maybe the lesson I should take from this is to follow DP advice and to stop researching on the net!!!!!!!!

Hi ladies
There is a definite link with coeliac disease, infertility and increased rates of miscarriage. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease and your body fights anything it sees as a threat unfortunately this includes babies as your body isn't healthy enough to support it.:(. Don't let your ob talk you out of getting tested. Go to your GP and get a referral to a gastroenterologist to be sure. Because coeliac disease doesn't allow the absorption of nutrients you have increased risks of pre-term birth, low birth weights and things such as spina bifida(due to an inability to absorb folic acid):( I have been sick for 13 years and was diagnosed with fructose malabsorption 18 months ago and still wasn't well and we were having issues conceiving. We have been trying for awhile without much success and have had one miscarriage. I am now seeing a gastroenterologist who is doing gene testing to confirm that he thinks I also have Coeliac disease. The good thing is that once diagnosed and on a gluten free diet your body should return to normal and the chances of conceiving and carring a bub to term are the same as any "normal" person. Keep positive, and get tested!!:hug: