A Short Discussion with My New Gastroenterologist

Sometimes I think "coincidence" is not a great word for the things that happen in our lives.

Today I met with a gastroenterologist regarding the colonoscopy I need to check for polyps.  While going through my health history and the recent loss of my son and Lovenox dosing, he brought up some information that seemed a little out of place but that I'm going to research.

He asked if I'd ever been tested for Celiac Disease.  To the best of my knowledge, I have never been tested because I've never had symptoms.  My bowels are pretty regular, I don't get stomach pains, etc. There is a chance the blood test was done back in 2007 when my gastroparesis developed, but that was over a year before my second BFP and my first loss.  At that point, I believe I didn't have APS and the celiac blood test, if done, would have been negative.

In the last 9 months, I have heard from several sources that undiagnosed celiac disease can cause a multitude of problems, including infertility.  I am still a little skeptical, but there are a few things that make sense from a non-medical point of view so I find my skepticism waning with each article.

Gluten is a gooey substance that helps things stick together. If you want a brief description, read here. I was told by a "whole health counselor" that gluten can make your blood sticky. Wait, WHAT??

Did you know that "sticky blood" is a nickname for APS? I did, but if you don't believe me, read this.

There is a short article here that discusses three cases of antiphospholipid antibodies in their various forms and the association to celiac disease and pregnancy problems.  It's short, but the IgG antibodies mentioned with the first case are lower than what I tested with twice last summer, so that one case appeals to me personally.

I'm beginning to think that when my next blood draw is done, I'm going to request the celiac work-up as well.  Forget "beginning to think". . . I'm definitely going to request it.

On the Mayo Clinic website, I found this nifty hunk of information:

Sometimes celiac disease is triggered — or becomes active for the first time — after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection or severe emotional stress.

 I have experienced ALL of those things since 2007.

All of these articles point in the same direction as this one, which I highly recommend to anyone with repeat pregnancy loss or APS. Something to consider from the article:

Several studies report miscarriage rates to be substantially higher among women with untreated celiac disease than among healthy women, with one study finding the rate of spontaneous abortion to be nearly nine times higher. The incidence of low birth-weight babies is reportedly almost six times higher in women with untreated celiac disease. The risk of intrauterine growth retardation may be increased three-fold. 

Women aren’t the only ones to suffer reproductive ills. A study of men with celiac disease found nearly half of them to have hypogonadism, sexual dysfunction, or poor semen quality, resulting in increased infertility. {emphasis mine}

 Another gem from the same article is from Kay Stout, an M.D in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Virginia Women's Center in Kilmarnock :

Stout has found undiagnosed celiac disease in patients who experience infertility, miscarriage, menstrual disorders, and pelvic pain. She notes that women diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome are more likely to screen positive for celiac disease, yet reproductive problems alone justify screening.

Should all women with unexplained infertility be screened for celiac disease? “Absolutely,”; said Stout. 

I know at the latest I'll have bloodwork done in June when we go back to Shady Grove. The appointment has already been made. It will be over a year since my initial work-up there and they require the testing to be redone after a year.  I suspect that my new MFM, Dr. Hammersely, will run a bunch of blood work at the end of May when I meet with her as well.

So what does this mean for me? This means that I'm going to make some minor adjustments now and wait for the blood draw.  Until I get vampire-poked, I am going to reduce the amount of gluten I'm eating. Gluten-free isn't something I can do unless I get diagnosed with Celiac or a gluten intolerance. In the month prior to and of Jackson's conception, I had reduced my overall carb intake to fight candida and this would have naturally reduced the amount of gluten I consumed.  So for now, no more bread or tortilla shells and only tortilla chips that are made from corn and are naturally gluten free.  There's a fabulous brand with a hint of lime I can find at Wegmans. Oh Yum! I'll still eat my potatoes and rice, too.

When I meet with Dr. Hammersley I will definitely mention the adjusted diet.  She is the clotting expert so it'll be interesting to see what her thoughts are about this.

Have you ever researched Celiac Disease?  What did you find?