Celiac Disease and Infertility?

At Viera Fertility Center, we see women who worry that their fertility troubles can be linked to dietary habits. One study has concluded that even those women with celiac disease who require a gluten free diet do not have higher rates of infertility than women in the general population.

Researchers conducted a large population-based cohort study, analyzing more than 2 million women of childbearing age in the United Kingdom, to compare the rates of new clinically recorded fertility problems in groups of women with and without celiac disease. The findings show women with celiac disease do not have a greater likelihood of fertility problems, either before or after diagnosis of celiac disease.

So while  you may choose a gluten-free diet for personal or comfort reasons, there’s no evidence that focusing on gluten (or that the need to focus on gluten) is in any way associated with female fertility.

Reference:

Nafeesa N. Dhalwani, Joe West, Alyshah Abdul Sultan, Lu Ban, Laila J. Tata. Women With Celiac Disease Present With Fertility Problems No More Often Than Women in the General Population. Gastroenterology, 2014; 147 (6): 1267 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2014.08.025