Here we are going to share information on the topic “can celiac disease affect your period.” In fact, some women with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity report that if they’ve recently ingested gluten, especially if the experience was extremely unpleasant, their periods are considerably more affective—more painful, with cramps and abdominal pain lasting longer than usual.
Eating gluten, a protein present in wheat and other grains, can lead to digestive issues if you have celiac disease (also known as celiac sprue). However, it’s more severe than a typical food intolerance. Your immune system targets gluten in your small intestine when you have celiac disease. Your small intestine is injured and rendered incapable of functioning properly by the attack.
can celiac disease affect your period
What is celiac disease?
A genetic autoimmune condition called celiac disease makes your body respond negatively to the protein gluten. When gluten enters your digestive system, your immune system responds by making antibodies to fight it. The lining of your small intestine becomes damaged by these antibodies (the mucosa). Nutritional shortages result from damage to the small intestine’s mucosa, which hinders the organ’s capacity to absorb nutrients from meals.
Grain proteins, including those of wheat, barley, and rye, include gluten. Many of the main items of the typical Western diet, such as breads, cereals, pasta, and baked goods, are made from these grains, particularly wheat. In addition, gluten is frequently added to meals that you wouldn’t typically find it in, like sauces, soups, and packaged goods. Barley or rye are typically used to make beer.
can celiac disease affect your period
What physical effects does celiac disease cause?
Your small intestine is affected by celiac disease. The majority of the nutrients in your diet, including gluten-containing proteins, are absorbed here. However, gluten in your small intestine causes an immunological reaction if you have celiac disease. To break down the gluten molecules, your immune system releases antibodies and inflammatory cells. The mucous membrane of your small intestine is harmed by these cells (mucosa).
Although the mucosa lining your small intestine is large, it is coiled into numerous folds and projections that resemble fingers, known as villi. It would cover a tennis court if you extended it completely. To absorb as many nutrients as possible during digestion, the folds and projections expand the surface area. But immune cells triggered by celiac disease degrade and flatten these projections, decreasing the surface area.
Can celiac disease be fatal?
If your small intestine is damaged, there may be dangerous outcomes. The mucosa of your small intestine allows nutrients from food to be absorbed. The mucosa cannot properly absorb nutrients if it is injured. We refer to this as malabsorption. Malnutrition and numerous other disorders resulting from insufficient amounts of certain nutrients might be caused by it. It may result in impaired growth and development in kids.
Celiac disease: who gets it?
Most cases of celiac disease are observed in individuals who are descended from Northern Europe. According to estimates, 1% of people in North America and Europe are affected. If you have a first-degree family member, such as a parent or kid, who has the condition, you have a 10% risk of getting it yourself. There is a detectable gene mutation linked to celiac disease in about 97% of patients with the condition (HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8).
What additional risk factors are involved?
Celiac disease is more common in patients with certain hereditary chromosomal problems, such as Down syndrome. Those who have certain other autoimmune disorders are also more likely to experience it. These diseases often share common genes, and they also have a way of triggering each other. Similar to other autoimmune disorders, celiac disease is more prevalent in those who were born with a feminine sex (AFAB). At least a 2:1 ratio is present.
If you: Are Caucasian, your risk of developing celiac disease is higher.
- Own a relative who possesses it.
- possess a chromosome abnormality such as Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, or Turner syndrome.
- Have another autoimmune condition, such as Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, microscopic colitis, or Addison’s disease.
- Had a female assigned at birth.
What is the cause of celiac disease?
According to one idea, it’s caused by major physical stress that pushes your immune system too far. Medical professionals have noted that the disorder frequently manifests following a major emotional experience or a physical trauma, such as surgery, illness, or pregnancy. There is also another notion that suggests the involvement of intestinal microbes. To investigate these possibilities, more research is required.
When does a gluten-related illness start?
After consuming gluten, either you or your child may develop celiac disease at any age. The two unique age windows that healthcare providers see most frequently are early childhood, between 8 and 12 months old, and mid-life, between 40 and 60 years old. Early childhood is the time when children start consuming solid meals, such as gluten-containing cereals or biscuits.
Here are some symptoms:
It might be challenging to identify celiac disease symptoms because they differ greatly from person to person. Some individuals have no symptoms at all. After consuming gluten, some people get indigestion and other gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. When actual damage has been done, some people only experience hazy signs of dietary inadequacies later in life. Anemia symptoms could appear first in these individuals.
Perhaps you have:
Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as:
- Stomach pain.
- Bloated stomach.
- Gas.
- Constipation.
- Diarrhea.
- Fatty stools.
Symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia, such as:
- Weakness and fatigue.
- Pallor (pale complexion).
- Cold hands.
- Brittle or concave nails.
- Headaches.
- Mouth sores.
Other symptoms of malnutrition, such as:
- Unintended weight loss.
- Growth delays and failure to thrive in children.
- Muscle wasting or low muscle tone.
- Dental enamel defects, such as pitting, mottled ortranslucent-looking teeth.
- Abnormal periods or difficulties becoming pregnant.
- Mood swings, most frequently characterised by children’s irritation and despair in
Dermatitis herpetiformis:
As a side effect, around 15% of individuals with celiac disease experience chronic skin inflammation. Also termed the “gluten rash” or the “celiac rash,” the same gluten antibodies that destroy your small intestine in celiac disease produce this ailment. The symptoms of dermatitis herpetiformis include an itchy rash that resembles blisters or clusters of pimples. Usually, it affects your scalp, buttocks, knees, and elbows.
can celiac disease affect your period
Diagnoses and Examinations
What symptoms indicate celiac disease?
If you experience symptoms in your gastrointestinal tract after consuming gluten, you may have celiac disease. It seems like a lot of people are sensitive to wheat or gluten-containing foods. Although they can produce painful feelings after eating, food intolerances do not harm your intestines in the same way that celiac disease does. Healthcare professionals will search for indications of this damage in order to diagnose celiac disease.
Before attempting a gluten-free diet, it’s critical to get a celiac disease test performed so that the results can show how gluten truly impacts your body. Your gut is going to start healing the moment you start avoiding gluten. Although healing is beneficial, it will remove all traces of celiac disease. To determine what sort of care you’ll need moving forward, you and your healthcare practitioner need to be certain whether you have it.
Possible Connection Between Endometriosis and Celiac Disease
Chronic pelvic discomfort is also a complication of endometriosis, a disorder in which uterine cells proliferate outside the uterus. In addition, it may result in painful sex, severe menstrual bleeding, and even trouble sleeping. On the other hand, endometriosis can sometimes be found during infertility testing and present with no outward symptoms at all.
Again, there is a dearth of medical research on possible connections between endometriosis and celiac disease, but what is known from anecdotal accounts from women who have the disease suggests that endometriosis may be more common in women with celiac disease than in the general population.
Study: Women With Endometriosis Have a Four-Times Higher Chance of Celiac
- Researchers aimed to ascertain the prevalence of celiac disease among a group of endometriosis-diagnosed infertile women in a 2009 study. They contrasted 1,500 healthy women with 120 whose endometriosis diagnosis had been verified through laparoscopic.
- In the trial, blood tests for celiac disease were performed on both groups. These tests included screening for antibodies against enzyme mysium (anti-EMA) and against tissue transglutaminase (tTG-IgA). The test that is thought to be the most specific for celiac disease is the EMA-IgA.
- Out of the 120 women in the study group, nine tested positive for tTG-IgA, and five tested positive for EMA-IgA. Out of the five, four consented to have intestinal biopsy, and in three of the cases, the results proved celiac disease (a 2.5 percent prevalence).
- Conversely, in the control group, one out of every 136 women had celiac disease, indicating an incidence rate of 0.66 percent. The researchers came to the conclusion that celiac disease “may be therapeutically significant” because it frequently manifests in endometriosis-affected women.
Handling and Medical Interventions
How do you treat celiac disease?
Giving up gluten is the first and most crucial step in the treatment of celiac disease. Although you cannot alter how your body responds to gluten, you can stop gluten from causing that response. Your small intestine will start to recover when you stop consuming gluten, and you’ll soon be able to absorb nutrients once more. But in order to prevent damaging your small intestine once more, you must follow a rigorous gluten-free diet for the rest of your life.
Further medical care could consist of:
- Nutritional supplements to make up for any significant shortages.
- Specific drugs to treat dermatitis herpetiformis, such as dapsone.
- Corticosteroids if the diet isn’t having a sufficient effect on severe inflammation.
- Ongoing monitoring, such as routine tests to ensure the illness is under control
Which foods set off the symptoms of celiac disease?
Some cereals and grain-based products naturally contain gluten. These include:
- Semolina, durum, emmer, bulgur, spelt, farina, Kamut® or Khorasan wheat, and couscous are examples of wheat.
- Barley (and malt made from barley).
- Rye.
Using these grains, one can make:
- Bread and pastries.
- Cereals, both hot and cold.
- Pastas and noodles.
- Lager, ale, and beer.
- Alcoholic beverages with malt.
- Malt vinegar
- Additionally, a lot of processed food items, such sauces and soups, have it added.
- Dressings and condiments.
- Processed meats, like that seen in deli meats and hot dogs.
- Processed ice cream, cheese, and yoghurt products.
- Dinners that are packaged.
- Sweets.
- Make sure to check labels for hidden gluten before eating processed goods.
The impact of gluten sensitivity on menstrual cramps is not well studied. Severe menstrual cramps are something you should talk about with your doctor because they could indicate endometriosis or fibroids.
Pregnancy issues and complications are experienced by women with celiac disease two to four times more frequently than by those without the illness. However, it’s possible that avoiding gluten entirely during pregnancy could help prevent some of these issues.
Frequently asked questions
can celiac disease affect your period
1. How does celiac affect your period?
Answer: Research has shown that women with celiac disease also experience other period problems, such as irregularly timed but extremely light periods (which sounds great but may indicate a problem that increases the likelihood of infertility), unusual spotting between or instead of periods, and infrequent, light periods.
2. Can celiac disease cause heavy bleeding?
Answer: The possibility of taking CD into consideration as one of the possible causes of abnormal uterine bleeding is suggested by the finding of a substantial association between DUB and CD. Therefore, while screening individuals for reproductive abnormalities, celiac disease needs to be taken very seriously.
3. Can celiac disease affect your uterus?
Answer: Celiac disease patients frequently have infertility, spontaneous miscarriages, an early menopause, a delayed menarche, and a higher prevalence of amenorrhea. In fact, 15% of pregnancies may end in a spontaneous abortion, and in 60% of cases, the cause may be determined (2).
4. Do celiacs have worse periods?
Answer: Painful Periods Are Reported by Many Celiac Women
Conclusion
can celiac disease affect your period
In conclusion, there is evidence to suggest that menstruation abnormalities and celiac disease may be related, even if this is still a developing field of research. One systemic autoimmune disorder called celiac disease that is brought on by eating gluten may affect the menstrual cycle among other body processes. According to research, menstrual pattern disturbances in women with undiagnosed or untreated celiac disease might include irregular periods and amenorrhea.
It is essential for patients and healthcare professionals to comprehend the complex interactions that exist between celiac disease and reproductive health. For a comprehensive assessment and diagnosis, it is essential to speak with a healthcare provider if you believe there may be a link between menstruation abnormalities and celiac disease. The main treatment for celiac disease is to eliminate all gluten from one’s diet. This can help with gastrointestinal symptoms as well as promote normal menstrual cycles and hormonal balance.
In summary, the possibility that celiac disease may affect menstruation health highlights the significance of comprehensive healthcare. People can take control of their gut health and promote general well-being, including reproductive health, by treating underlying autoimmune diseases like celiac disease. As this area of study develops, it will be crucial for patients, medical professionals, and researchers to work together to clarify the complex relationships that exist between autoimmune diseases and many facets of women’s health.