I have Celiac disease. It infuriates me when people refer to it as an allergy to gluten. Whenever I hear that, I tell them that as far as I know, I am not allergic to anything. If it is someone with the ability to understand the difference between an auto-immune disorder and an allergy, I will briefly describe the stuff about seed proteins and what it does to my body when I inadvertently consume wheat.
As a young woman, which I am not, it is imperative that you manage your Celiac disease for lots of reasons, but especially if you wish to have a full term pregnancy. While infertility is frequently mentioned on the list of symptoms of Celiac disease, it is rarely described. Why does Celiac disease impact fertility? "Potential effects of celiac disease on fertility include: Shorter menstrual cycles, Earlier menopause, Recurrent miscarriages, Premature births, and Low birth weight." Four second trimester miscarriages and not one OB GYN thought to test me for Celiac disease!
I feel you - it is definitely very frustrating when people don't understand the difference between allergies and an autoimmune disease. And thank you for bringing up the point about infertility. I plan to write a separate post about it in the future because I agree it's not spoken about enough!
This is a great interview. It helps to understand the importance of cross-contamination and how easy it is for a person with celiac disease to get gluten without knowing it. The only way for people to take it more seriously is through spreading information like this.
I loved this interview — there's so much that needs to be said on this topic!
So glad you enjoyed! The mental health impact of celiac disease shouldn't be ignored!
Thank you for shining light on this. It’s really so important. Maybe the most important aspect and it’s so hidden much of the time❤️
Thank you for reading! I agree we should talk more about the mental health impact of living with celiac disease!
I have Celiac disease. It infuriates me when people refer to it as an allergy to gluten. Whenever I hear that, I tell them that as far as I know, I am not allergic to anything. If it is someone with the ability to understand the difference between an auto-immune disorder and an allergy, I will briefly describe the stuff about seed proteins and what it does to my body when I inadvertently consume wheat.
As a young woman, which I am not, it is imperative that you manage your Celiac disease for lots of reasons, but especially if you wish to have a full term pregnancy. While infertility is frequently mentioned on the list of symptoms of Celiac disease, it is rarely described. Why does Celiac disease impact fertility? "Potential effects of celiac disease on fertility include: Shorter menstrual cycles, Earlier menopause, Recurrent miscarriages, Premature births, and Low birth weight." Four second trimester miscarriages and not one OB GYN thought to test me for Celiac disease!
I feel you - it is definitely very frustrating when people don't understand the difference between allergies and an autoimmune disease. And thank you for bringing up the point about infertility. I plan to write a separate post about it in the future because I agree it's not spoken about enough!
This is a great interview. It helps to understand the importance of cross-contamination and how easy it is for a person with celiac disease to get gluten without knowing it. The only way for people to take it more seriously is through spreading information like this.
Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts, Tim, I appreciate it!