There are a handful of women’s issues that doctors will tell you can be related to celiac disease: celiac can be triggered by pregnancy, delivery, menopause, and undiagnosed celiac can cause infertility and osteoporosis.
What you don’t see often is any research on the relationship of celiac disease to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS. I recently did some research that looks at why some people think the two may be related.
The Mayo Clinic’s website describes PCOS as
“…the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age. The name of the condition comes from the appearance of the ovaries in most, but not all, women with the disorder — enlarged and containing numerous small cysts located along the outer edge of each ovary (polycystic appearance).” — MayoClinic.com
According to the Mayo Clinic’s website women with PCOS often deal with infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne and obesity. They often have trouble getting pregnant as well.
So what does PCOS have to do with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity?
Well some would say they may be more related than people think. Surefoodsliving.com recently conducted an “Ask the Doctor” segment with Dr. Aron who, during the process of answering a bigger question, said “…PCOS and celiac are related”. While that doctor didn’t really elaborate, another expert did.
BellaOnline.com’s infertility editor discussed PCOS and infertility. The article sourced Melissa Diane Smith who’s a nutritionist, health educator and author of Going Against the Grain. She says
“…85% of her PCOS clients test positive for a sensitivity to gluten. When these women remove gluten from their diets they often see a marked improvement in their PCOS symptoms.”
One blogger knows about this issue all too well. This mother of two has both PCOS and celiac disesase. She writes about this very subject in detail on her blog Hormones and High Chairs. She says,
“i previously wrote about a possible link between celiac disease and pcos, and for me, that possibility is stronger than ever…i didn’t have periods that were less than 3 months apart. dx and gluten free diet began mid march. my first “real” period on may 10 (see previous blog). and i was waiting to see if i had to wait 3 months or if i could possibly become regular again.
drum roll please… 5 weeks… that’s only 35 days… i have another period.” – Hormones And High Chairs Blog
Then she also explains the importance of staying gluten free if you have PCOS,
“…eating gluten free is extremely important. It’s difficult and frustrating, but when i think of how good i feel, how i don’t have emotional outbursts anymore, i have zero bloating and am losing weight steadily, and no more physical pain, i don’t want to eat foods with gluten.”
In Conclusion…
So you’ve gotten this far in my post. Still you won’t find any major study or conclusion linking the two ailments. What I will offer you is a thought: celiac disease can be tied to liver and kidney problems, cancer, infertility, bad teeth, depression, osteoporosis and other bone issues, nervous system disorders, rashes, and more. So if all of these seemingly random problems can happen with untreated celiac disease, is it so impossible to think that celiac and gluten sensitivities wouldn’t play a role in PCOS?
If you have PCOS and are wondering about whether celiac is playing a role, why not get the blood test? I know in many cases it may be tough to convince your doctor to run the test if he or she isn’t familiar with the bizarre connections celiac can have with other ailments. But I think for many, it could be worth the time and money.
Note: I am not a medical professional. You should always consult your doctor on your health care to find out what is right for you.
Tags: celiac, gluten, infertility, PCOS, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, symptoms
September 22nd, 2010 at 12:41 am
I’ve never been tested for CD, but FWIW, I was diagnosed with PCOS 14 years ago and removing gluten from my diet has given me the first normal and regular cycles of my life… for about two years now.
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:21 pm
What blood test should I ask for?
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Kathy,
Here’s a link to the University of Maryland’s Center for Celiac Research which gives you the names of the blood tests: http://celiaccenter.org/celiac/faq.asp#blood
If you’re looking for a test for PCOs I am not as educated in this area, but I found a link that could at least get you started: http://pcos.about.com/od/calli.....dtests.htm
Good luck!
Amy
May 26th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
I’ve been diagnosed with pcos and endometriosis. My doctor suggested I try a gluten free diet before putting me on more meds. After about 1 month of eating gluten free my blood tests came back really good. My insulin and blood sugar was starting to get back to normal, my liver function was no longer worrisome and I no longer felt so much anxiety after eating my meals. I would say there is definitely something there that does affect it.
June 26th, 2011 at 7:42 pm
PCOS all my life, never had regular periods my entire life with no way to find a cycle pattern. Finally lost all my periods for over five years. I’ve been gluten free for 18 months and I am regular (between 32-37 days) and fertility obgyn says the PCOS is completely gone. They can’t test me for Celiac because I refuse to go back to gluten. I am completely convinced.
June 30th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
I have had PCOS for 8 years. I’ve managed it naturally until a couple of years ago when I finally gave in and started taking Metformin and a handful of supplements trying to feel better and get the energy for exercise, etc. After trying to concentrate on diet and exercising for twelve weeks without much success, I got my doctor to admit something else was wrong. He had me try an appetite suppressant called Phentermine which was a mistake as all of my symptoms got worse. I also tried thyroid hormone which didn’t make me feel better. Finally, out of desperation, I paid out of pocket for all the tests with an alternative med doctor and found out I have antibodies to gluten, soy, cow’s milk, and eggs. All the healthy protein snacks and lean proteins I was choosing were slowly killing me. I know I’m a half a second away from being full blown diabetic but for the first time, I know now what NOT to eat. We’ll see how things go. I think gluten intolerance causes a lot of health issues. Look at your family. So many of the women in my family have had fertility issues (endometriosis,) osteoporosis, etc. Many of the men and women have sleep problems/narcolepsy. I can see the pattern in my own family even though none of them have the obesity issues (except for an Aunt and a cousin.)
September 26th, 2011 at 10:43 am
I was diagnosed as having PCOS in 2001 and celiac in 2006. Going gluten-free (and removing the rest of my allergens) was the only thing that resolved my insulin resistance and gave me normal periods again. Now, in 2011, I have no symptoms of PCOS and I am a normal weight.
October 27th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
I was on the cusp of getting pcos…my period would be heavy and clot like it was going to stop, couple hairs on my chin started growing in, a lot of scalp hairloss, IBS symptoms and fatigue. As a teen I had mild psoriasis and I wish I was tested for food allergies then. I went to my PCP and she had me blood tested and swabbed for everything to be absolutely sure it was PCOS. Well I got all my bloodwork back and I am gluten intolerant and allergic to peanuts. Once I eliminated the gluten and now eating a diet of fruits, vegetables and lean meats with a good multi-vitamin/herbs…the PCOS is completely gone. I also avoid dairy and buy organic when I can. I sincerely believe that auto-immune conditions are brought on by trigger foods your body is allergic too or poor diet and they manifest differently in each women. If I would have never went to the doctor and let it go…it could have turned out worse like full blown intestinal scarring/Celiac or Hashimoto thyroiditis. Please, Please if you have or have symptoms…go to a good doctor (naturopathic I like them best)and knowledge is power make sure you study your symptoms so you can get to the root cause. Thanks and Be Blessed
November 28th, 2011 at 10:29 pm
I was diagnosed with PCOS about 2 years ago. I had been taking birth control for several months before I switched to Metaformin. I’ve been having very regular periods on Metaformin.
However, several months ago, I began experiencing severe stomach pain, nausea, and diarreah. The doctors were perplexed and tried everything, including a colonoscopy and gastroscopy.
They even tested my blood for Celiac’s disease. Everything came back negative for any sort of bowel or auto-immune diseases.
Eventually, my doctor told me to try eliminating gluten to see if I would feel better.
It’s been a month and I feel SO much better. I have a gluten intolerance that is probably related to the PCOS.
After eliminating everything with wheat, barley, and rye, I feel much more energetic and healthy. I’ve even lost about 10 pounds!
It’s interesting that gluten-intolerance could potentially be related to PCOS. Has anyone else tried eliminating gluten and felt a dramatic difference in their well being?
December 15th, 2011 at 8:27 am
While testing for celiac disease in women with PCOS should be considered, I’m uncertain whether women with PCOS and normal anti-gliaden antibody testing might not still benefit from gluten free diets. For those who have been advised to reduce gluten intake did you see benefit regardless of the celiac testing results?
January 3rd, 2012 at 4:48 pm
I was tested in the past for celiac and the blood work showed a positive antibody but the biopsy came back negative. So I continued eating gluten. Fast forward a few years … I’m having trouble getting pregnant. I saw a midwife for it who put me on Metformin which is a diabetes drug used to help your body deal with insulin. This drug is usually prescribed for diabetics or PCOS patients with infertility problems and seems to help most women ovulate regularly. It has shortened my long cycles and helped me ovulate monthly.
Meanwhile I’m reading Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis and he explains how wheat creates insulin spikes and insulin resistance … which the metformin is treating. Hmmm. So, I’m thinking if I were on a gluten/wheat free diet (which I’m starting as I type) that my body would ovulate on it’s own without needing the metformin to counteract the insulin resistance that is created by eating wheat/gluten. Make sense?