A Swedish Study published in April 2011 by Fertility and Sterility found that untreated celiac disease may not hurt fertility in men as previously thought. Great news right? We can all relax, eat some bread and continue spawning children with celiac disease–right? Unfortunately, no… Once again, inequity rears its nasty head!
Ladies… I hate to tell you, but if you want to be “Fertile Myrtle” than you need to find out if you are gluten intolerant and stop eating gluten if you are. This April study is only applicable to men’s fertility and not women. Ladies, if you are having problems conceiving–gluten might be the cause and stopping consuming it might be the answer. And if you already know you have a problem with gluten and yet you continue to sneak bites of cookies, sandwiches and crackers–shame on you! Gluten proteins can remain in our system for 3 months or longer! So every time you take “just a little” bite of that tempting donut, you are choosing another 3 months or so of infertility.
For us women, gluten can result in a whole host of hormonal problems. Dr. Eyal Sheiner, who studies celiac disease in Israel, said that women with celiac disease who continue to consume gluten start menstruating later and hit menopause earlier than other women. Additionally, he told Reuters Health that “several studies have found that celiac women who do achieve fertilization, often have higher chances of miscarriages” and poorer fetus growth rates.
Reproductive issues are not limited to women with celiac disease but can also affect women with non-celiac gluten intolerance. A New Delhi study published November 24 in Fertility and Sterility found that women with non-celiac gluten intolerance are more likely to have “unexplained infertility, recurrent abortions, stillbirths or intrauterine growth retardation.” They are also more likely to have preterm births, low-birth-weight infants and require a cesarean section.
Now, I should also mention that I am not advocating eating gluten as a form of birth control! Obviously the malnutrition. lack of nutrient absorption and immune disregulation that comes with consuming gluten when intolerant to it hurts not only the baby, but also the mom. The reproductive affects alone are a reason to test and stay off of gluten all together and forever, but add to that the affects on the pituitary, nervous system, thyroid, adrenals, the neuromuscular and skeletal systems and need I say more!
Given the obvious inequity in this situation… Men? Hello? Yes, you guys out there need to go off the gluten too. You know how hard it is to be gluten free when someone is constantly rubbing their pastries, breads, pizza and double chocolate cherry stout from the Mountain Sun (okay, so yes, Stout Month at the Mountain Sun is the one and only thing I miss from my days of glutinous gluttony) in our faces? Yep, do it for your lady and the little parasite (I mean unborn child) not yet realized. Yes, everyone that is not gluten free that is reading this, what the world needs is more gluten free allies (hmmm… yes, that will be a blog post later). And honestly, I wouldn’t put all of my “eggs in one basket” (okay that seems like the wrong analogy for this topic of discussion). Studies indicating reproductive problems for women that are gluten intolerant are pretty conclusive, but ONE study finding men’s infertility not affected by gluten when intolerant does not a conclusive determination make.
If either of you wants to know whether gluten may be the cause of your fertility problems, please contact myself or another practitioner to help you test. Also, testing negative for celiac disease does not mean that you are not non-celiac gluten intolerant. There are tests to determine whether a person is non-celiac gluten intolerant, but as with celiac disease tests, these are non-conclusive. False negatives happen and the tests do not test for all of the proteins in gluten containing grains. If you have any questions about testing or issues raised in this article, please comment and I will do my best to answer or find the resources for you to get your answer.
Happy procreating!
To learn more about gluten and other problematic foods, check out our free Anti-Inflammatory Video Training Series.
A very worthwhile article It is written with humor and will make a greater impression. Very timely article for Valentine’s Day! 🙂
Thanks Joyce! I’m glad you appreciate my humor!
Very good article and I wish more people would realise the conditions that arise having gluten or excess in their diets. I eliminated some products and still working on it. Although I am not a celiac, I realise that I have symptoms show up if I have to much in my food intake. Thank you for this info Katie.
Always a pleasant and joyful experience when ready your blogs xxx
Thanks for reading! Yes, non-celiac gluten intolerance is very common with it impacting as many as 1 in 10 people! Non-celiac gluten intolerance can be just as dangerous and frightening as celiac disease but with the inflammatory cascade manifesting in different symptoms. Unfortunately, many medical doctors only recognize celiac disease and don’t test for non-celiac gluten intolerance. I’ve even had clients tell me that they feel much better gluten free, but that their doctor has told them they can continue consuming gluten-containing grains since they tested negative for celiac disease! Frustrates me to no end!
Girl, I never knew this – and I teach my clients to be GF! I had no idea it effected fertility, wow. I’m surprised but then again I’m not. Sneaky gluten!
Sneaky gluten is right! Scary how many effects gluten intolerance can have.
Wow Katie. So much in here that I didn’t know. I’m particularly shocked at the idea that gluten remains in one’s system for three months! That should be a huge incentive to stay away from it when there is a sensitivity. Thanks for your fun approach to a serious topic.
Thanks Dorine! I know, I get so frustrated when a client tells me that she had just one bite of a cookie or sandwich this week. Sure less may be better, but having any amount still ramps up our immune system and results in an inflammatory cascade that can have long lasting impacts on our body. I wish it were enough incentive for everyone. Unfortunately, for some people, gluten attaches to the opiate receptors in the brain making it extremely addictive and stopping it like quitting coke (soda or cocaine!).
Katie, I’m one of those people who loves to learn through humor and you’re a great teacher! Very interesting stuff on gluten and fertility. I learned something new. Thanks
Lynn
Thanks Lynn for reading! Yes, food intolerance stuff can get rather boring and dry–humor makes it easier to read about and also write about!