Following a gluten-free food plan will likely be sufficient to forestall fertility problems. However, this will not be at all times enough to reverse the results of the disease. Find out more in this text.
Celiac disease is a standard disorder in the final population. Without an adequate food plan, it’s related to multiple complications in various organs. Infertility is a little-known consequence of celiac disease.
It is because of many aspects, including the results of poor intestinal absorption, placental insufficiency and hormonal alterations. Although it more commonly affects women, men can even suffer from it.
If you need to know more about this, you will discover all of the useful information in this text. We actually explain to you the principal the explanation why these two conditions occur often concurrently.
When does celiac disease cause infertility?
Celiac disease only causes infertility when gluten is consumed over an extended time period. This can occur for a wide range of reasons, including the next:
- Willingness to not follow or inability to follow dietary recommendations.
- Ignorance of the diagnosis since the symptoms are mild and sporadic.
Therefore, a girl who properly controls the symptoms of the disease in addition to its food plan -over an extended period- is unlikely to suffer from infertility. If, despite strict control, the patient presents infertility, the doctor can suggest assisted procreation techniques, as we are going to see later.
What are the causes of celiac disease?
It’s a couple of autoimmune pathology characterised by inflammatory reactions within the digestive tract that occur following exposure to gluten. This substance is present in large quantities in foods resembling flour and wheat.
Due to the numerous industrial exploitation of those products, it may well be difficult -from a social and economic point of view- to keep up a strictly gluten-free food plan. Symptoms that will occur include:
- Diarrhea.
- Abdominal distension.
- Weightloss.
- Various gastrointestinal manifestations.
On the opposite hand, there are scientific evidence which establish a frequent link between infertility and celiac disease. Especially amongst women. Below we detail the alterations within the body that help explain this phenomenon.
Celiac disease and infertility: associated aspects
Inflammatory reactions don’t only cause effects within the digestive tract. They can even affect several systems. This is why celiac disease is linked to infertility.
Poor intestinal absorption
One of probably the most direct consequences of gluten exposure in celiac patients is damage to the intestinal mucosa. This can severely compromise the flexibility of this organ to soak up micro- and macronutrients. The signs and symptoms caused are often known as intestinal malabsorption syndrome.
Unfortunately, certain micronutrients essential for the body – resembling iron and vitamin B12 – are essential for the embryo implants within the partitions of the endometrium and begins to grow little by little. This due to this fact helps to partially explain the origin of infertility.
Placental insufficiency
The placenta is an important organ that permits nutrients to pass from the mother to the embryo or fetus. Given that the immune system extends to all organs, antibodies generated against gluten can sometimes damage this tissue and result in placental insufficiency.
This then signifies that the placenta will not be performing its functions because it should. The most direct consequence is that the embryo cannot develop properly, which normally ends in miscarriage. Such an event can occur repeatedly, and it’s difficult to make a diagnosis when the mother doesn’t produce other obvious symptoms of celiac disease.
Hormonal disorders
This aspect helps explain cases of male infertility. This same lack of micronutrients could cause significant hormonal imbalances. Especially after they affect testosterone. It is the male sex hormone which plays a significant role in spermatogenesis.
This process is accountable for the formation of sperm, that are the male sex cells that perform fertilization with the girl’s eggs. The chronic decrease in testosterone can due to this fact impact spermatogenesis.
What are the treatment options?
Controlling the underlying disease is prime to stopping infertility. Whether because of problems with embryo implantation or repeated miscarriages. This control then consists of a strict gluten-free food plan. Fortunately, nowadays it is feasible to search out many gluten-free products in supermarkets.
Although this seems sufficient, infertility will not be at all times reversible or preventable. Assisted procreation techniques then constitute a sound option for these patients. The best known are the next:
- Artificial insemination.
- Fertilization
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
In some countries, these procedures are a part of the general public health system. Unfortunately, in different places they’re only accessible through private clinics.
A correct food plan is usually the answer
A patient affected by celiac disease can lead a standard life provided that he follows the dietary advice indicated. This goes beyond digestive discomfort, because prolonged exposure to gluten can even cause nervous and cardiovascular system disorders, and eventually infertility.
All sources cited have been thoroughly reviewed by our team to make sure their quality, reliability, timeliness and validity. The bibliography for this text has been considered academically or scientifically reliable and accurate.
- Ivarsson A. The Swedish epidemic of coeliac disease explored using an epidemiological approach –some lessons to be learnt. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2005;19:425-40.
- Martos I, et al. Influence of celiac disease on fertility and pregnancy disorders. Paraninfo Digital 2018;XII(28):e105.
- Polanco I, et al. Celiac Disease. Diagnostic-therapeutic protocols of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Pediatric Nutrition SEGHNP-AEP.
- Sheiner E, Peleg R, Levy A. Pregnancy final result of patients with known celiac disease. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2007;129(1):41-45.
- Zugna D, Richiardi L, Akre O, Stephansson O, Ludvigsson JF. A nationwide population based study to find out whether coeliac disease is related to infertility. Gut. 2010:59(11):1471-1475.
