Q & A
Return to ->Ask the Doctor->CD and Other Issues | QUESTION: I am 32 years old and have celiac sprue. I was diagnosed about 6 years ago, and have followed a gluten free diet ever since, no cheating - only the occasional gluten accidentally ingested. Since then, I was also diagnosed with hypo-thyroid and am on a very low dosage of Synthroid. My question - is pregnancy safe for celiacs in my situation? I understand that if I were to have a child, the child has a very high risk of having celiac disease (correct?). But what about the actual pregnancy, and having a healthy baby and pregnancy? Appreciate your time to answer. | DR. FINE: The main risk of celiac to preganancy is infertility. (Although, theoretically, malnutrtion with compromise of the baby is possible, it is unlikely that someone severely malnourished could even ovulate and conceive normally enough to sustain a pegnancy.) There are other potential risks of being autoimmune (as most celiacs are) like blood clotting too easily, hormone deficiencies and/or excesses, but generally after 6-12 months on a gluten free diet, for the most part, celiacs can assume normal healthy lives and all that goes with it. So in your case, I think pregnancy would pose no special risks or concerns beyond the norm.
While the risk of overt celiac disease is actually not overwhelming in offspring, gluten sensitivity is. Therefore, I recommend withholding gluten from newborns, infants, and children as long as is feasible, which reduces the risk of developing celiac disease ever, and makes it impossible as long as they do not consume gluten.
Best of luck and health to you.
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