Mobile menu
Home » Living with Celiac Disease » Men's Health

Celiac Disease and Men's Health

Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that can affect a person of any age, race, or sex, including men. Symptoms can vary widely from person to person—some people have no symptoms at all, aside from the intestinal damage characteristic of celiac disease—and there are a few unique ways it can affect men. Learn more about celiac disease in men by reading below.

Celiac Disease Prevalence in Men

Like other autoimmune diseases, celiac disease occurs in more women than men. The disease is currently diagnosed more frequently in women as well, somewhere between two and three times more often. However, a recent comprehensive review of celiac disease by celiac disease experts from Italy and the United States found that when looking at blood tests of undiagnosed populations, it appears that men have celiac disease at much higher rates than previously believed. The review found that the actual female to-male ratio [of celiac disease] is 1.5 to 1.

Celiac Disease Symptoms in Men

The symptoms most often associated with celiac disease are gastrointestinal issues, like diarrhea, constipation, bloating, and recurrent abdominal pain, but celiac disease can also affect other parts of the body, including the bones, skin, and reproductive system. Symptoms in men may also include:

  • Gonadal dysfunction
  • Semen issues (changes in number and/or mobility)
  • Short stature
  • Osteoporosis 
  • Dermatitis herpetiformis

Men with type 2 refractory celiac disease also appear to experience intestinal lymphoma more often than women.

Celiac Disease, Infertility in Men

Men with celiac disease may have gonadal dysfunction, which could complicate fertility issues. Semen issues (such as sperm morphology, number and mobility issues) found in men with celiac disease improved after following a gluten-free diet. A 2025 review of studies that investigated celiac disease and infertility in men found conflicting conclusions and recommended that more research in this area is needed.

Testing & Diagnosis of Celiac Disease in Men

Celiac disease tends to be underdiagnosed in men. Men with symptoms of celiac disease, especially osteoporosis, are encouraged to be tested for celiac disease. The earlier you can catch celiac disease the better since the diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve a person’s overall well-being.

Blood tests are the first step in a diagnosis of celiac disease. Your doctor should order one or more of a series of blood tests to measure the body’s response to gluten.

Currently, recommended tests include:

  • Total IgA
  • IgA-tTG
  • IgA-EMA
  • If IgA is deficient, it is recommended that the IgG/IgA-DGP also be ordered. At the discretion of the doctor, IgG-AGA can also be ordered.

According to World Health Data Statistics 2019, there’s a “health gap” between men and women, especially in high-income countries. The data shows that men tend to use health services less than women. It is important for men to seek professional medical services to prevent complications that can occur if their condition, whatever it may be, goes undiagnosed. 

An Important Note about Celiac Disease Testing

It is of the utmost importance that you do not go on a gluten-free diet before getting tested. Going gluten-free before getting tested can potentially give you incorrect results— test results for celiac disease are only accurate if you are consuming gluten

Learn more about celiac disease testing.

Think you may have celiac disease?

Symptoms Checklist
OUR PARTNERS