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 Ask
Dr. Aron
|
 Celiac,
Endometriosis and PCOS
I have
had polycystic ovarian syndrome
(PCOS) for several years and
luckily, though various fertility
treatments, was able to conceive
and give birth to two beautiful
boys (ages 5 and 2). Since my
youngest was born via C-section,
I had been having abdominal
pain, cramping, intermittent
diarrhea, etc. I had never had
gastro problems before this.
Last month, I had a laparoscopy
that found endometriosis/adenomiosis/ovarian
cysts, all of which were cauterized.
I continued to be extremely
fatigued, losing weight, diarrhea,
etc., so on a whim I had a blood
test for celiac that was suggested
months earlier by my gastro.
Of course, it was positive.
I am just coming to grips with
all this right now. I am unable
to work because I am in the
bathroom half the day, on my
heating pad for the continued
back pain from the laparoscopy,
and always exhausted. My family
is going on the gluten-free
diet to see if that helps me
feel better and I am going to
have my allergist check me for
other food allergies and for
a Candida albicans yeast allergy
(the allergist found earlier
last year that I had virtually
no immunity to any strep infection
strains and after a pneumonia
vaccine shot, the numbers improved
- I had been having 8-10 sinus
infections a year, flu/bronchitis
twice in the past 3 years, and
various other weird infections
requiring multiple rounds of
antibiotics).
My question is - are all of
these (PCOS, endometriosis,
celiac) related? Are there good
resources on these diseases
if they are or people who actually
have all 3? I feel like every
few months I find out something
new about myself, so I feel
like I flit from problem to
problem instead of addressing
a larger cause.
|
 Endometriosis
is a completely independent condition,
but PCOS and celiac are related.
Treatment of the endometriosis
should be explored with your gynecologist.
The gluten-free diet should help
with the other problems, but remember
that celiac disease is an inherited
condition, so you’ve had
this all your life, only to be
unmasked by the C-sections. Thus,
it will be several months before
you’ll see a major benefit
of the diet.Health
and happiness,
Dr. Aron, Feb
09
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Can
Celiac make endometriosis worse?
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There
is no doubt that untreated celiac
disease can lead to an excessive
sensitization of the enteric nerves,
and thus augment any pain that might
arise from endometriosis. Endometrial
implants on the outer surface of
the gut are surrounded by connective
tissue-as a way of encasing these
abnormal tissues. That process can
also involve the intestinal muscles
and nerves, and, when activated
by the immune cells in the celiac
patient, the painful sensation is
enhanced. I see this also in IBS
and IBD and coexisting endometriosis.
When I control the inflammation
with gut anti-inflammatory drugs,
the pain improves. Other than that,
these are two independent phenomena
that often interact, and one should
not consider celiac disease as a
cause or effect of endometriosis.
Dr.
Aron, Feb
09
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