As reported in www.obgynnews.com, researchers from the United Kingdom conducted a population-based study involving more than 2.4 million women between 1990 and 2013. Their results indicated “with the exception of those diagnosed between the age of 25 and 29 years*” women with celiac disease are not at an increased risk for fertility issues.
VITALS
Key clinical point: Women with celiac disease are not at increased risk of fertility problems.
Major finding: Women with celiac disease had a similar rate of recorded fertility problems as did those without celiac disease (4.4% vs. 4.1%).
“Therefore, screening when women initially present with fertility problems may not identify a significant number of women with celiac disease, beyond the general population prevalence. This may not always apply to subgroups of women with severe celiac disease. However, in terms of the clinical burden of fertility problems at a population level, these findings should be reassuring for women with celiac disease and all stakeholders involved in their care,” the investigators concluded.
“The findings contrast with those from a number of smaller studies that demonstrated an association between infertility and celiac disease, but those studies included small numbers of women, including many who were receiving infertility specialist services, the investigators said, explaining that the women may not have been representative of the general population, and that other small studies found no link between celiac disease and fertility problems.”
NOTE: *“However, the absolute excess risk [for those diagnosed at age 25-29 years] was only 0.5% (5.2/1,000 person-years), they said.”
Read entire article HERE.
