Tuesday 23 August 2011

Unexplained infertility and undiagnosed coeliac disease

Anyone experiencing unexplained infertility knows how difficult it can be not to have any known cause for the problem, and how vulnerable it leaves you to every bizarre fertility therapy going. Couples often question their lifestyles, jobs, living situation, past history and pretty much everything under the sun as they seek an explanation - and nowadays there is no shortage of "expert" opinion telling you that if you could just relax, take a holiday, eat more broccoli or less chocolate, spend an hour a day meditating, wear orange knickers or any number of other peculiar suggestions, you would probably get pregnant right away.

In fact, unexplained fertility usually does have a medical cause - it's just that doctors haven't found it. Now, a team at Columbia University in the States have discovered higher than usual rates of undiagnosed coeliac disease amongst those suffering from unexplained infertility. If you have coeliac disease you are intolerant to gluten, but not everyone has symptoms of coeliac disease and some of the signs that you may have the condition such as abdominal pain, bloating and indigestion are not always immediately associated with gluten intolerance.

If you have unexplained infertility and unexplained digestive issues, it may be worth talking to your GP about celiac disease. If you are found to be intolerant to gluten, a change of diet may also help your fertility.