Infertility Side Effect With Celiac Disease
A good third of infertility cases are unexplained. A new study shows that many of the women experiencing infertility have celiac disease.
A research article published in The Journal of Reproductive Medicine evaluated 191 female patients having a history of infertility. Each participant underwent screening for celiac disease as well as other typical testing to identify the source of or contributors to infertility. Four of the patients were confirmed to have celiac disease and advised to see a doctor and make nutritional changes to a gluten-free diet.
The rate of undiagnosed celiac disease among the women who participated in the study was 2.1%, slightly higher than the 1.3% the researchers were expecting to find. However, the diagnosis of celiac disease in women with unexplained infertility was found to be significantly higher at almost 6%. The four women who adjusted their diet all conceived within a year of diagnosis.
This was admittedly a small research group. Still, the conclusion is that for some women dietary changes may help with fertility.
“Diagnosing celiac disease in an infertile woman would b particularly beneficial if the low-cost (and low-risk) therapy of pursuing a gluten-free diet could improve chances for conception,” says lead author Janet Choi, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist at the Center for Women’s Reproductive Care at Columbia University.
There is an increasing body of research supporting infertility as a side effect of undiagnosed celiac disease. If you are having trouble conceiving, be sure to ask your doctor if this may be a possible cause.