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ALLERGIES AND INFERTILITY |
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ALLERGIES AND INFERTILITY
More and more couples who fail to conceive in the first year or two are trying natural medicine before IVF. Most are attuned to lifestyle factors and avoid things like: hot baths, junk food and coffee. Not many though, have considered the possibility that food allergies and intolerance may be contributing to their disappointment.
The first and most important intolerance to look for is gluten also called Celiac disease. Gluten is a complex protein found in most grains, especially wheat, and also barley and rye. It would be a rare day that anyone eating a regular western diet did not encounter gluten in some form.
Gluten intolerance weakens the intestinal tract by flattening the vili that are responsible for the absorption of nutrients. Being unable to absorb nutrition properly naturally creates havoc In the gut and immune system. In time a number of degenerative diseases often occur.
Because the many organ systems in our bodies are connected, proper nutrition is needed in order to make all systems, including the reproductive system work the way nature intended. Nutrition is not only about the digestive tract. Good nutrition is needed for reproductive health and fertility. When gluten affects the reproductive system in women, it can cause both irregular periods and infertility. In men sperm quality and quantity may be reduced.
A GLUTEN FREE DIET CAN HELP FERTILITY
If infertility and miscarriage are being caused by gluten intolerance they can easily be remedied by a gluten free diet. Celiac disease can be tested for with a blood test which is relatively accurate as long as you have been consuming gluten regularly in the month before the test day. As soon as you cut gluten out of your diet, the volume of of anti-gluten antibodies that your body produces drops, which can make the test misleading.
Many men and women are sensitive to gluten containing grains, but do not have an autoimmune reaction to gluten, and this makes testing even more difficult.
A simple, more reliable test is to go on a gluten free diet for two months and see how you feel.
The most common health changes noticed (if gluten is your problem) will be when going gluten-free are:
fat loss , more physical and mental energy, resolution of abdominal bloating and resolution of; gas, constipation, diarrhea and irritable bowel, less depression and simply feeling better. Cognition and memory may improve.
The most difficult thing about this diet is it means gluten FREE. You need to be strict. A gluten-free diet is a great opportunity to have less starchy, hi G.I. flour-based foods and up your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and quality proteins. The grains to avoid are wheat (bulgar, semolina, cous cous, spelt, triticale, kamut, rye and barley. This removes all bread except special gluten free breads. Oats may be all right for some people as their protein structure is slightly different, but they are almost always milled in the same place as wheat and so become contaminated. Rice is the grain of choice for the couple embarking on this diet. Corn may also be eaten.
YEAST SENSITIVITY
An inability to eat yeast containing food, such as nearly all breads, some other baked goods, Vegemite, beer, stout etc. is quite common This problem is caused by an overgrowth of Candida which normally lives quietly inside us. Candida gone wild affects the whole body and the reproductive tract is usually the first target. In this case fertility will only be restored by a determined effort to remove sugar from the diet and to repopulate the digestive tract with the right bacteria.
DAIRY INTOLERENCE.
So far there is little evidence to support the hypothesis that dairy intolerance can cause infertility. However, I have removed dairy from the diet of two patients and they each conceived within three months. This isn't proof but if you think you may be lactose or casein intolerant try removing dairy from your diet. And see if the stork visits.
Diana Thurbon
Naturopath, Herbalist, Natural Fertility Specialist
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