Coeliac disease, known in the U.S. as celiac disease, is more common among women who have unexplained infertility, according to new research.
The study looked at data from 191 female patients who presented with infertility and were tested for celiac disease. 4 of the patients had positive test results and were advised to see a gastroenterologist. After all 4 were confirmed to have the disease, they signed up for nutritional counseling and switched to a gluten-free diet.
While the prevalence of celiac disease was only 2.1% among infertile patients – not significantly higher than the overall rate of 1.3% - the rate of the disease among women with unexplained infertility was found to be much higher at 5.9%. All 4 patients with celiac disease were able to conceive in the year after they were diagnosed.
These findings suggest that some women with infertility could greatly benefit from changing their diet.
Lead study author Janet Choi, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist at the Center for Women's Reproductive Care at Columbia University, is quoted by Medical Condition News as saying, "Diagnosing celiac disease in an infertile woman would be particularly beneficial if the low-cost (and low-risk) therapy of pursuing a gluten-free diet could improve chances for conception."
The study was published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine.
