The Hidden Food Allergy That Causes Unexplained Infertility
If you and your partner are one of millions of couples worldwide grappling with a diagnosis of "unexplained Infertility" then you already know how frustrating this condition can be. While doctors are quick to pinpoint that "something " is wrong - they seldom can tell you what, or what can specifically help you to get pregnant.
Now, however, a growing body of evidence has begun to shed light on a new diagnosis of unexplained infertility – and one that just might put you on the fast track to conception.
The problem is Celiac disease – otherwise known as a "gluten " allergy. While once thought to be a rare, inherited genetic condition, it is now been believed to affect over 2 million people in the United State alone – and many more may be undiagnosed.
"Approximately 3 million suffer needlessly, undiagnosed with this condition – most never realizing that a change in diet could change their life ", said Alice Bast, Executive Director of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
in a recent interview.
Of those couples affected by unexplained infertility, experts say that for almost half, gluten allergy may be the cause or a significant contributing factor.
And while for some the symptoms are easy to recognize (including a history of
gastrointestinal upsets, diarrhea, gas and bloating) for many others signs are
much more vague making the condition much harder to recognize. Indeed, problems can be as diverse as headaches, joint pain, "brain fog", fatigue, loss of
energy, irregular menstrual cycles, anemia, and in many instances, unexplained infertility.
Indeed, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness reports that on average it can take 10 years -or sometimes more – for people to get the correct diagnosis.
Understanding The Link Between Celiac disease & Infertility
In order to absorb nutrients from food, your intestines come equipped with tiny hair-like projections called villi. Think of these as tiny pond-fronds moving back and forth, helping to pull the nutrients from foods and send them into your blood stream.
In those who have Celiac disease, eating products rich in gluten (a type of protein commonly found in rye, wheat and barley) ignites an immunologic firestorm that causes the body to produce toxins. It is these toxins that damage the villi, causing them to lie flat. When this happens nutrients are not properly absorbed – including those from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals and in some cases even water and bile salts.
But that's not the only problem that occurs. Increasingly research suggests these same toxins create body-wide inflammation capable of affecting your health from head to toe – including your fertility.
* Currently, researchers at Molinette Hospital in Turin Italy report that early findings of a study of women with Celiac disease indicate the rate of "unexplained infertility could be as much as 3.5% higher than in the general population. They also suggest Celiac disease increases the risk of miscarriage and low birth weight babies.
* In another study doctors from Tampere University Hospital and Medical School at the University of Tampere, in Finland found that the rate of celiac disease among women reporting infertility was 4.1%.
* In a study conducted by physicians at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia doctors found that the rate of recurring pregnancy loss is four times higher in women with Celiac disease.
Moreover, in a meta- analysis study conducted jointly by doctors at the Technion School of Medicine in Haifa, Israel and St. Luke's Roosevelt Medical Center in New York City, doctors concluded that not only is there a strong association between Celiac disease and infertility, it also remains a condition continually overlooked by many obstetricians and even fertility doctors.
How Gluten Allergy Affects Fertility
While it may be easy to see how a gluten allergy could impact your stomach health, the links to fertility as well as miscarriage are a bit less obvious.
Many doctors believe the immune responses linked to Celiac disease and gluten intolerance - including the production of toxins - have a detrimental affect on the menstrual cycle and disrupt ovulation. How does this occur?
Celiac expert Dr. Alex Shikhman believes it may be through the increased production of a hormone known as prolactin.
" Studies show that when women allergic to gluten eat this protein, it typically causes an upswing in the production of prolactin," says Shikhman, director of the Institute for Specialized Medicine in Del Mar, California.
Produced by the pituitary gland, and secreted in small amounts in both men and women, prolactin is the hormone that naturally increases during pregnancy in order to help prepare your body for breastfeeding. But it also does something else: In high amounts prolactin can turn off production of brain chemicals linked to both egg production and release. These include FSH, which stimulates eggs to grow, and LH, which prompts ovulation. In fact, one of the reasons most women don't get pregnant while they are breastfeeding is because high levels of prolactin keep them ovulating.
At the same time, however, if you want to get pregnant, the production of FSH and LH is critical. So it's easy to see how high prolactin levels can keep you from conceiving.
Additionally, fertility expert Dr. Niels Lauersen believes it's not just high prolactin levels, which contribute to gluten-related infertility.
" Since the very nature of a gluten allergy means that patients are absorbing far less nutrients from their foods and even their vitamin supplements, I also believe this condition can lead to a deficiency of factors that I know are essential to getting pregnant - particularly the B vitamins, plus vitamins C, D and A, as well as minerals like calcium and iron," says Lauersen, author of Getting Pregnant: What You Need To Know.
In fact, he says that whenever any of these nutrients are in short supply getting pregnant can be much more difficult.
"It doesn't have to be from a gluten allergy - any problems that cause a decrease in nutrients, including irritable bowel syndrome or a poor diet, can be a factor in unexplained infertility," says Lauersen.
Moreover, Dr. Shikhman has been gathering data suggesting there may be a link between gluten allergy and endometriosis, the menstrual related disorder that is also the leading cause of infertility in young women.
According to his preliminary research, when caught in its earliest stages, mild endometriosis responds to a gluten-free diet - meaning that not only does the endometriosis clear, but so do the related fertility problems.
Lauersen contends that diet does make a huge difference with endometriosis - with or without a gluten allergy.
"It's important to recognize that this condition does respond to diet and vitamins - and any diet that would reduce inflammation would be effective, " he says.
Additionally, it's important to point out that it's not just women who can be affected by a gluten allergy or sensitivity. Indeed, some studies show that men who are sensitive to gluten also experience problems with sperm production - including producing sperm that are misshapen or in other ways defective. And this too can often contribute to a couple's diagnosis of unexplained infertility.
Gluten Allergy And Recurring Miscarriage
In addition to making it harder to get pregnant, if you do happen to conceive, a gluten allergy can also increase your risk of recurring or chronic miscarriage. How does this occur?
One theory links the problem to a blood protein known as antiphospholipid antibodies. Normally, the membranes of all your cells contain molecules called phospholipids. Some of these molecules contain a glue-like substance that actually helps the cells of your placenta ( the sac that surrounds and nourishes your baby in the womb) to fuse together and grow. When the body produces antibodies to phospholipids, it causes tiny blood clots to form within the placenta, thus blocking nutrients from your reaching your baby. When your baby can't be nourished, growth and development can become so restricted, a miscarriage results.
In women who have Celiac disease, Dr. Shikhman says the production of these antibodies can soar – along with the risk of miscarriage.
"There is a very strong link between antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and gluten intolerance – and consequently, an increased risk of miscarriage," he says.
Fertility expert Dr. Niels Lauersen adds that when a mother has poor nutrition, before and right after pregnancy, studies show that the risk of miscarriage increases.
" So it stands to reason that if you are not absorbing the proper amounts of nutrients from your foods or your prenatal vitamins, then your baby will not be receiving the proper nourishment necessary to survive and thrive. So even without the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, still, your risk of miscarriage would naturally increase, " says Lauersen.Click Here To Discover How To Treat Infertility Naturally; Without Drugs or Surgery Retrieved from "http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/the-hidden-food-allergy-that-causes-unexplained-infertility-2830580.html" (ArticlesBase SC #2830580)
Discover Lisa Olsens inspiring personal story on how she reversed her infertility problems with natural foods and herbal remedies.
Now, however, a growing body of evidence has begun to shed light on a new diagnosis of unexplained infertility – and one that just might put you on the fast track to conception.
The problem is Celiac disease – otherwise known as a "gluten " allergy. While once thought to be a rare, inherited genetic condition, it is now been believed to affect over 2 million people in the United State alone – and many more may be undiagnosed.
"Approximately 3 million suffer needlessly, undiagnosed with this condition – most never realizing that a change in diet could change their life ", said Alice Bast, Executive Director of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
in a recent interview.
Of those couples affected by unexplained infertility, experts say that for almost half, gluten allergy may be the cause or a significant contributing factor.
And while for some the symptoms are easy to recognize (including a history of
gastrointestinal upsets, diarrhea, gas and bloating) for many others signs are
much more vague making the condition much harder to recognize. Indeed, problems can be as diverse as headaches, joint pain, "brain fog", fatigue, loss of
energy, irregular menstrual cycles, anemia, and in many instances, unexplained infertility.
Indeed, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness reports that on average it can take 10 years -or sometimes more – for people to get the correct diagnosis.
Understanding The Link Between Celiac disease & Infertility
In order to absorb nutrients from food, your intestines come equipped with tiny hair-like projections called villi. Think of these as tiny pond-fronds moving back and forth, helping to pull the nutrients from foods and send them into your blood stream.
In those who have Celiac disease, eating products rich in gluten (a type of protein commonly found in rye, wheat and barley) ignites an immunologic firestorm that causes the body to produce toxins. It is these toxins that damage the villi, causing them to lie flat. When this happens nutrients are not properly absorbed – including those from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals and in some cases even water and bile salts.
But that's not the only problem that occurs. Increasingly research suggests these same toxins create body-wide inflammation capable of affecting your health from head to toe – including your fertility.
* Currently, researchers at Molinette Hospital in Turin Italy report that early findings of a study of women with Celiac disease indicate the rate of "unexplained infertility could be as much as 3.5% higher than in the general population. They also suggest Celiac disease increases the risk of miscarriage and low birth weight babies.
* In another study doctors from Tampere University Hospital and Medical School at the University of Tampere, in Finland found that the rate of celiac disease among women reporting infertility was 4.1%.
* In a study conducted by physicians at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia doctors found that the rate of recurring pregnancy loss is four times higher in women with Celiac disease.
Moreover, in a meta- analysis study conducted jointly by doctors at the Technion School of Medicine in Haifa, Israel and St. Luke's Roosevelt Medical Center in New York City, doctors concluded that not only is there a strong association between Celiac disease and infertility, it also remains a condition continually overlooked by many obstetricians and even fertility doctors.
While it may be easy to see how a gluten allergy could impact your stomach health, the links to fertility as well as miscarriage are a bit less obvious.
Many doctors believe the immune responses linked to Celiac disease and gluten intolerance - including the production of toxins - have a detrimental affect on the menstrual cycle and disrupt ovulation. How does this occur?
Celiac expert Dr. Alex Shikhman believes it may be through the increased production of a hormone known as prolactin.
" Studies show that when women allergic to gluten eat this protein, it typically causes an upswing in the production of prolactin," says Shikhman, director of the Institute for Specialized Medicine in Del Mar, California.
Produced by the pituitary gland, and secreted in small amounts in both men and women, prolactin is the hormone that naturally increases during pregnancy in order to help prepare your body for breastfeeding. But it also does something else: In high amounts prolactin can turn off production of brain chemicals linked to both egg production and release. These include FSH, which stimulates eggs to grow, and LH, which prompts ovulation. In fact, one of the reasons most women don't get pregnant while they are breastfeeding is because high levels of prolactin keep them ovulating.
At the same time, however, if you want to get pregnant, the production of FSH and LH is critical. So it's easy to see how high prolactin levels can keep you from conceiving.
Additionally, fertility expert Dr. Niels Lauersen believes it's not just high prolactin levels, which contribute to gluten-related infertility.
" Since the very nature of a gluten allergy means that patients are absorbing far less nutrients from their foods and even their vitamin supplements, I also believe this condition can lead to a deficiency of factors that I know are essential to getting pregnant - particularly the B vitamins, plus vitamins C, D and A, as well as minerals like calcium and iron," says Lauersen, author of Getting Pregnant: What You Need To Know.
In fact, he says that whenever any of these nutrients are in short supply getting pregnant can be much more difficult.
"It doesn't have to be from a gluten allergy - any problems that cause a decrease in nutrients, including irritable bowel syndrome or a poor diet, can be a factor in unexplained infertility," says Lauersen.
Moreover, Dr. Shikhman has been gathering data suggesting there may be a link between gluten allergy and endometriosis, the menstrual related disorder that is also the leading cause of infertility in young women.
According to his preliminary research, when caught in its earliest stages, mild endometriosis responds to a gluten-free diet - meaning that not only does the endometriosis clear, but so do the related fertility problems.
Lauersen contends that diet does make a huge difference with endometriosis - with or without a gluten allergy.
"It's important to recognize that this condition does respond to diet and vitamins - and any diet that would reduce inflammation would be effective, " he says.
Additionally, it's important to point out that it's not just women who can be affected by a gluten allergy or sensitivity. Indeed, some studies show that men who are sensitive to gluten also experience problems with sperm production - including producing sperm that are misshapen or in other ways defective. And this too can often contribute to a couple's diagnosis of unexplained infertility.
Gluten Allergy And Recurring Miscarriage
In addition to making it harder to get pregnant, if you do happen to conceive, a gluten allergy can also increase your risk of recurring or chronic miscarriage. How does this occur?
One theory links the problem to a blood protein known as antiphospholipid antibodies. Normally, the membranes of all your cells contain molecules called phospholipids. Some of these molecules contain a glue-like substance that actually helps the cells of your placenta ( the sac that surrounds and nourishes your baby in the womb) to fuse together and grow. When the body produces antibodies to phospholipids, it causes tiny blood clots to form within the placenta, thus blocking nutrients from your reaching your baby. When your baby can't be nourished, growth and development can become so restricted, a miscarriage results.
In women who have Celiac disease, Dr. Shikhman says the production of these antibodies can soar – along with the risk of miscarriage.
"There is a very strong link between antiphospholipid antibody syndrome and gluten intolerance – and consequently, an increased risk of miscarriage," he says.
Fertility expert Dr. Niels Lauersen adds that when a mother has poor nutrition, before and right after pregnancy, studies show that the risk of miscarriage increases.
" So it stands to reason that if you are not absorbing the proper amounts of nutrients from your foods or your prenatal vitamins, then your baby will not be receiving the proper nourishment necessary to survive and thrive. So even without the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, still, your risk of miscarriage would naturally increase, " says Lauersen.
Discover Lisa Olsens inspiring personal story on how she reversed her infertility problems with natural foods and herbal remedies.
Top 10 Anti-Fertility Foods
Believe it or not the food you eat has a huge impact on your fertility. I know, like women need another reason to go on a diet!:) But keep in mind that you are not "dieting" for weight loss, you are simply adopting a healthier way of eating. Most of the items on this list however are self explanatory, things that you shouldn't eat or drink anyways. The items on this list have been found to affect fertility in one way or the other, whether it is directly or in directly the consumption of any of these items is a "no-no".
Avoid Caffeine
First of all you should always, always avoid caffeine it has long been associated with problems when consumed by pregnant women. However, multiple studies have directly linked excessive caffeine use to an increased instance of miscarriage. If you must drink caffeine your intake needs to be limited to a 1 glass a day, replace this something healthy such as water, herbal tea, or fruit smoothie.
Conventional Meats
Conventional meats directly effect fertility because of the amount of synthetic hormones that can be found in the meat. When you ingest this meat you are ingesting the hormones as well, and this can disrupt your normal reproductive cycle. This can be resolved by eating organic meat, often referred to as free range or grass
fed.
Conventional Diary
Conventional dairy too has all the added hormones and antibiotics as conventional meats. So best to go organic here as well.
Soda/sugar
Many women rely on sugar for their daily boost however this sugar dependence is very unhealthy. Soda should be avoided because it is FULL of refined sugar as well as artificial flavorings, colors, and caffeine. Water is always a wonderful replacement for these or fresh fruit juice. Although be careful to avoid processed fruit juice such as that you find in your grocers juice department as it too contains tons of concentrated sugars, which can have negative effects on your immune system.
Alcohol
Do I even have to explain why to avoid this one? Alcohol is a definite NO-NO while pregnant but consumption of alcohol when trying to conceive is a bad idea because of the amounts of sugar in it. Also, men should avoid alcohol as well, because consuming alcohol may lead to poor sperm quality.
Soy foods
I am not sure what marketing genius came up with the idea of claiming that soy was good for you, but they should definitely be fired. Soy has been connected to several different hormonal problems, including but limited to breast cancer, because of its ability to mimic estrogen. Soy products can cause a disturbance in the normal hormonal balance which in turn can cause ovulatory problems, as well as many other reproductive health issues.
Cigarettes
Cigarettes are bad for every system and function in your body including the reproductive. Eating organically to prevent the ingestions of harmful toxins and chemicals will do no good if you are sucking in harmful toxins and chemicals emitted by a cigarette. Cigarette smoking, as well as second hand smoke exposure, has been linked to fertility problems. It is best to stop smoking before conception because smoking while pregnant can lead to remature, low birth weight babies.
White Carbohydrates
Refined carbs such as white flour, white bread, white rice, and pasta are full of sugar, yeast, and not much else. Opting for the whole wheat counter part is a much better idea because of the amount of fiber, and other nutrients it
posses. Be sure to replace refined carbohydrate with the whole grain ones such as brown rice, wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and so on.
Fat Free Diet Foods
Fat free/diet food lacks the nutritional value of whole foods, not to mention all the added artificial flavorings, and artificial sugars added...basically chemicals placed in the food to make it appear a though it has taste. Getting rid of this diet way of thinking is a good idea, the way to a healthier, slimmer you is to eat whole nutritious foods.
Hydrogentated Oils
Hydrogenated oils are full of Trans fats that are so unhealthy for a number of reasons. A great alternative to this is coconut oil! Trust me it does not taste like coconut, it is a wonderful alternative to the dangerous fatty oils and it is super healthy...especially for reproductive health!