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Celiac disease in pregnancyCeliac and infertilityIn fact, if you are having trouble with infertility, it could also be to blame.
In pregnancy, innocuous symptoms like trouble conceiving or multiple miscarriages may signal the need to test for celiac disease. Unexplained infertility could mean undiagnosed celiac. Disease in pregnancy needn't be worrisome in this particular case. Your doctor will likely tell you that once you're on a strict gluten free diet your chances of miscarrying drop to those of any other woman. Allow time for your body to recover before trying to conceive again. Perhaps wait six months to a year after a positive diagnosis of celiac disease for, in pregnancy, your body will need to absorb all the nutrients it requires.
Pregnancy and the gluten free dietAn important nutrient that is essential during the first weeks of pregnancy is folic acid. In a normal diet this is present in enriched breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals. On a gluten free diet it can be necessary to supplement your diet with folic acid tablets or capsules instead for at least 3 months before you begin trying to conceive.Folic acid is essential for your unborn child. Without including it in your diet your growing fetus is at risk of neural tube defects. The neural tube becomes the spinal cord and brain of your baby. The defects could range from mild to severe and they are caused by incomplete development of the brain or spinal cord. One of the most common neural tube defects is Spina Bifida, which happens when the spine fails to close properly early in the pregnancy. The consequences of this include paralysis or hydrocephalus (water on the brain). In addition to folic acid, iron and calcium are also important nutrients that need to be included in your diet. Calcium can be found in milk, cheese and oily fish and egg yolks. Avoid soft boiled or raw eggs whilst you are pregnant. While coping with celiac disease in pregnancy you should eat as healthily as possible. Although you need an adequate supply of iron it is recommended not to eat liver (or liver pate) during pregnancy. You can get plenty of iron (and folic acid) in green leafy vegetables such as spinach. Even if you normally have loose bowel movements, constipation can be a problem during pregnancy so try to include plenty of fibre in your diet. Fruit (fresh and dried), vegetables and whole grains such as brown rice or buckwheat can help provide fibre to keep you regular.
My personal experience of celiac disease in pregnancyOn the my story page I tell of my experience with the gluten free diet from when I was a baby to the present day. At the time my first child was born I had been on the diet for many years.After coming off the pill I conceived within 1 month. The morning sickness I suffered at the beginning of the pregnancy continued throughout, eventually putting me into a hospital bed with hyperemesis gravidarum long before the baby was due. Whilst I was still at work, I lost so much weight that my wedding ring fell off my finger never to be found again. Following advice from the doctor after my daughter was born I came off the gluten free diet and started eating bread and other foods again. Although I was only eating foods containing gluten for a short time after the birth of my daughter it was long enough to play havoc with my body.
Again I suffered terribly from hyperemesis gravidarum during the pregnancy, spending part of it in hospital being drip fed and no food that I ate would stay put! Having celiac disease in pregnancy meant that I actually weighed less at the time of his birth than I did at conception. Looking back I am sure it was abandoning the gluten free diet that caused the unexplained infertility problems I experienced.
If you have experience with celiac disease in pregnancy, why not get in touch and share your story here on the-gluten-free-chef.com?
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My storyRead my story of life with celiac disease, in pregnancy, before and afterwards
Kimberleys storyKimberley was diagnosed later in life
read about how she arranged her own funeral
Allergy or Intolerance?Is Coeliac disease an allergy or a food intolerance? The facts.
What is gluten?Following a gluten free diet can be a challenge. What is gluten is probably one of your first questions.
Celiac and anorexiaNot eating and loosing weight dramatically may be due to celiac not anorexia.
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Therefore no information on this site should be taken as medical advice. Return to top of celiac disease in pregnancy Return to symptoms of celiac disease Return to Coeliac disease Return to Home Page |
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Late menarche (onset of menstruation) followed by irregular, painful periods is common in undiagnosed celiac sufferers. And at the other end of the scale early menopause can also be one of the 
Once my daughter was 18 months old we started trying to give her a sibling. This time things did not happen so quickly. In fact I had to wait 4 years before conceiving again. Sadly the pregnancy did not last much past 12 weeks, leaving me sad and depressed. Another miscarriage followed before I eventually fell pregnant with my son who was born when my daughter was nearly 8 years old.
