Recently, the daughter-in-law of a client of mine inspired me. She sent me an e-mail that sparked my interest to spread the word about a very real and growing problem in our world - infertility. She said she had been trying to get pregnant to no avail. The doctors had ruled her case to be "inexplicable fertility." Somewhere along the line, it was discovered that she had gluten intolerance. After going off of gluten, she conceived within four weeks! She was so proud and happy to share the picture of she and her beautiful son with me. I was naturally thrilled for her and could hardly wait to share this link between gluten intolerance, celiac disease and infertility with the world.
I went in search of scientific information regarding celiac disease and gluten intolerance. It was not difficult to find at all. It is well documented that there is a link between especially celiac disease sufferers and infertility.
Celiac disease weakens the intestinal tract by flattening the vili that are responsible for the absorption of nutrients. Being unable to absorb nutrition properly can create havoc on the immune system that can result in a number of degenerative diseases over time. The culprit of celiac is gluten, a complex protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye.
Though the many organ systems that are in our bodies have different functions, and even doctors who specialize in each one, they are all connected. Proper nutrition is needed in order to make all systems function smoothly. Proper nutrition is also needed for reproductive health. In gluten intolerant and celiac sufferers, any one or all of the organ systems can be affected. Additionally, celiac disease can affect, mood and behavior through psychosis, depression, dementia and attention deficit disorder. When gluten affects the reproductive system in women, it can cause both irregular periods and infertility.
The good news, as my client's daughter-in-law shares, is that conceiving can be as simple as eliminating gluten and it can happen as quickly as four weeks. It is true that it could have been coincidence that she conceived due to the elimination of gluten. The truth is, we have no way to know for sure as it could not be tested. What we do know is there is quite possibly a strong link between eliminating gluten and her story could just prove it. I have to wonder how many other women out there have experienced the same thing.
If you are someone who is unraveling the mysteries around why you have not been able to get pregnant, you may want to look into the possibility that gluten can be a cause. You can ask your doctor for a blood test or you can simply eliminate gluten to see if it is helpful to you. I might recommend eliminating it for several months at the very least as studies have shown that it takes up to six months for gluten to be completely out of your system. The choice is up to you. I am hopeful that eliminating gluten could bring more loved babies into the world! It's definitely worth looking into!
For assistance in easily and painlessly eliminating gluten and dairy from your diet, my new cookbook Done With Dairy, Giving Up Gluten: 14 Days to a Delicious and Healthy You offers 14 days of recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, a grocery list, grocery tips, and valuable information for going gluten and dairy-free. I've made it simple for you to make this change so you don't have to spend hours and days trying to figure out what to eat.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you use it unedited and in its entirety, including the following author information: Dairy and Gluten-Free Chef and Lifestyle Coach, Doctor Meg Haworth, Ph.D., created Delicious And Healthy to support those suffering from food allergy or intolerance. Sign up to receive her FREE biweekly newsletter, Delicious And Healthy Living, and FREE Special Reports, Glutton for Gluten and Drowning in Dairy, at www.DeliciousAndHealthy.com. You can also access her online cooking videos and check out her cookbook and allergy elimination guide, Done With Dairy -- Giving up Gluten: 14 Days to a Delicious And Healthy You.
