Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Common culprit in infertility

In some of the immune-issue fertility lists I'm on, I'm noticing more and more people are going gluten (wheat) free. This makes sense for almost anyone because at the very least, wheat is hard to digest, and any energy you're spending on digestion could be used for, well, other purposes. Many top level athletes are going gluten-free, too.

This article on how it affect fertility is from mercola.com:

Millions of people have celiac disease, but most don’t know they have it, in part because symptoms can be so varied. It is an often overlooked digestive disorder that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, is eaten.

Infertility seems to be more common in women with untreated celiac disease. Other gynecological and obstetrical problems may also be more common, including miscarriages and preterm births.

For men, problems can include abnormal sperm -- such as lower sperm numbers, altered shape, and reduced function. Men with untreated celiac disease may also have lower testosterone levels.

The good news is that with proper treatment with a gluten-free diet and correction of nutritional deficiencies, the prognosis for future pregnancies is much improved.

1 comment:

Pregnancy Coach Amy said...

I did not know about celiac disease and its source till I read this post. Thanks for the information. There are also other factors contributing to infertility for both men and women. This includes unhealthy lifestyle and diet. For those who wanted to be pregnant someday changing your diet and lifestyle might prove to be beneficial when you want to make a baby.