Mobile menu

No Increased Risk of Infertility Among Men Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

March 9, 2011

No Increased Risk of Infertility Among Men Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

x

Celiac disease research needs you!

Opt-in to stay up-to-date on the latest news.

Yes, I want to advance research
No, I’d prefer not to
Don’t show me this again

Men with biopsy-confirmed celiac disease have normal fertility when compared to a non-celiac control group, a new study concluded.

Men who suspect they may have celiac disease have another reason to get diagnosed. A new study from Sweden found that men with biopsy-confirmed celiac disease have no increased risk of infertility when compared to a non-celiac control group.

The study analyzed follow-up data on more than 7,000 men who had been diagnosed with celiac disease, defined as having a biopsy that showed villous atrophy. Researchers took note of how many children each man had and compared that to the number of children among more than 31,000 controls.

According to the results, men with diagnosed celiac disease had “normal fertility.”

The findings surprised many in the celiac and gluten-free community, especially because previous studies indicated that celiac disease can impact infertility in both men and women. However, this latest study only examines men who have ultimately been diagnosed with celiac disease, as opposed to men who have celiac disease but continue to live undiagnosed and, therefore, untreated.

As summarized by Reuters Health:

“In all time periods the researchers looked at, both before and after celiac disease was diagnosed, men who were ultimately diagnosed with the condition did not suffer from infertility any more than men without celiac disease, as measured by their number of children.”

The study abstract did not indicate how many of the men analyzed in the study ascribed to a gluten-fre diet.

Reuters Health also noted that women with untreated celiac disease may suffer fertility problems, including a higher rate of miscarriage.

Related Content:

OUR PARTNERS

Think you may have celiac disease?

Symptoms Checklist
OUR PARTNERS