What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

Do you think or believe there is a strong connection between gluten and Unexplained IF? Doesn't Gluten affect the quality of eggs.....(sorta speak)? After years of eating Gluten my whole life.....how do you even reverse it? I guess you can't. : (

In total I have been TTC 9 years.

I decided to go GF for a year, been on countless supplements to prepare my body. I then did my first IVF in 2014 and this year 2016; still ended up in Miscarriages. With all these years of meds with IUI's and two unsuccessful IVF's in 2 years.......I have gained a good 40 and I just feel gross.

Just wondering if you believe in cutting it out 100% to help achieve a PG? Or if anyone had experience doing this?

I guess I need to know if I did go GF again......would I be wasting my time?

Message edited 12/29/2016 8:54:24 AM.

What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

I can't say for sure it is the reason I got PG but my dr suggested goign GF and I did and got PG the month after. I had been trying for 2 years and did IUIs and was just about to start and IVF cycle and BAM!

I will never know if the stars were just aligned or it was GF. here I am 5 years later and still no 2nd baby though and I have gone GF for various periods of time.

Re: What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

I'm considering gojng gluten free.. though at this point at least for me anyway, I think it's just a numbers game,

Re: What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

I have done probably every elimination diet on earth in conjunction with cycles. My feeling is that there is a small segment of women who probably have an undiagnosed gluten sensitivity and the rest of it is just hoodoo. I have IBS, so I have often felt that eliminating common allergens from my diet was something I needed to do in order to feel that I had checked every box within my control to influence the outcome, but I knew to a certain extent this was purely psychological since my IBS never improved on any of those diets.

One thing I will recommend is Michael Pollen's documentary Cooked on Netflix. It's in four pieces and "Air" was all about bread. He makes a really interesting argument about how sourdough is really the original bread that was eaten by human beings for thousands of years until mass production of food led to the use of added yeast as a quicker, cheaper leavener. The point is that the natural bacteria that grows as sourdough rises also breaks down the wheat grain to make it more digestible, and a lot of the problems we have with gluten in the modern age are related to the fact that we skip the fermenting stage. The last part of the series, "Earth," sort of expands on this with cheese and other foods.

I also took a probiotic heading into cycles. VLS #3 is one of the only ones that actually has shown benefits for IBS patients in clinical trials, and that is what my clinic recommended.

Message edited 12/30/2016 8:26:47 AM.

Re: What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

Thank you bookworm; that is sooo interesting.
I will definitely be watching this.

Thanks all for your responses.

Re: What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

I have had awful stomach issues along with endometriosis so I decided to go GF at the advice from my Dr. I'm trying to follow the endo diet that helps lower inflammation in the body, lower estrogen levels and then it can help chances of fertility for women like me. I have very high estrogen. So when I went exclusively GF and that meant no cheating, I immediately lost a ton of weight, stopped getting constant migraines and started feeling better in general with my stomach. I coupled this with acupuncture to help with my circulation. Did it help me get pregnant with my DD? I have no idea. My amh did go from .28 up to .79 but all of my IVF cycles failed with no viable eggs. For me, it has helped immensely in general with my estrogen and inflammatory levels.

Re: What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

Re: What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

I was GF for a year prior to getting pregnant.
Gluten free means no wheat/white flours so I just avoid those products. Basically you stick to fresh fruits, veggies, rice, beans and lentils, hummus, proteins. I don't really buy and GF foods. Maybe just the trader Joes GF bread for toast and sandwiches and I buy the brown rice pasta. It's very good for your body actually. I would def avoid processed food including those labeled gluten free. It's really bad for your body and will increase your inflammatory levels.

What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

I did gluten free for about 2 years due to a suspected sensitivity, not an allergy. For me it made no impact on my cycles or fertility. I started probiotics- my stomach has never been better and I now just eat fruit, veggies, meat and carbs in moderation pasta maybe 1x every 2 weeks, but do readily snack on pretzels! I feel it can't hurt to try things that may help, same with acupuncture! I will say this without gluten in my life I definitely felt a lot less bloated and groggy!!! Good luck!

What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

I have no idea if it helped but I did go Gluten free with my successful IVF. However, I went gluten free with my most recent FET and its ending in a miscarriage so I'm not sure if it helps. I figure its one of those things I can manage to do so why not. With my successful pregnancy I only kept it up until 12 weeks pregnant.

Re: What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

I tried it. It did not work for me, but I was glad I tried.

Re: What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

Re: What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

Re: What are your thoughts on Gluten and IF?

I actually got diagnosed with celiac 6 months after my son was born (he's an IVF baby). I also have several other autoimmune conditions that I already knew abt. My OB was not surprised that I found out that I have celiac he said this can be a huge reason for my fertility issues. I've now been strictly gluten free since may and feel great, no more killer stomach aches.