Did you/were you told to go GF while TTC? By whom were you told this? Why-was it for a specific medical condition? Did you try it?
Did it work?
It hasn't been suggested to me by my doctor, but I'm wondering if it might help? I'm curious, though, if it helps achieve pregnancy, avoid miscarriage, both, or maybe neither?
coconut / 8681 posts
I think I already told you this but...I went during the cycles that we took off of TTC before I got pregnant with E. I did it to help with my thyroid issues and my PCOS. No doctor told me to do it- I just decided to based on my research. I figured that it couldn't hurt! I did start a low dose of thyroid medication at the same time.
Right before I got PG with E they redid all of my bloodtests and my thyroid was back in an optimal range and my progesterone levels post-ovulation were up. I don't know if it was going GF that did it but I know that it didn't hurt the process. I also feel a lot better when I'm GF.
kiwi / 742 posts
I've cut out 95% of all processed foods. I still eat some things, but if it has ingredients I can't pronounce I don't eat it. Like Running Elley said, giving up gluten didn't hurt anything. My PCOS symptoms have decreased and I feel great. I also responded much better to clomid this time around.
It wasn't until I changed my eating that I realized I didn't have to feel tired after every meal.
apricot / 452 posts
I just posted about this on the IF update 7/11 thread. My IVF Dr requires all of his patients to go gluten free. His belief is that high gluten diets create a hostile environment for the embryo. I am following this gluten free diet mostly due to the fact that where I am at in the IF process, I will try anything that can possibly increase my chances. I don't know if I completely buy into it, but I will seriously try anything.
I have been gluten free since May (with a 2 week set back while on vacation) and actually do feel better. I have more energy and no longer feel like I really need a nap after lunch. I think overall gluten free makes you really think about what you put in your mouth and makes you eat healthier, which is better for TTC. Also, I lost a few pounds going gluten free and am feeling better about my body overall. This is helping me emotionally since I had gained more than I wanted by being on all of the fertility meds and dealing with my IF journey.
I don't know yet whether it helped me achieve pregnancy since I was only gluten free for our last cycle trying naturally and now I am on BC for IVF. But hopefully it will help contribute to the success of our upcoming IVF cycle (I am really working on being positive:)).
honeydew / 7917 posts
I personally did not, but I don't think it would hurt to eat healthier and go gluten free. Becoming more aware of the food you eat is always a good step.
clementine / 943 posts
@pui: I agree. Unless you have a specific medical issue (like Running Elley), or a gluten sensitivity, there's no need to go gluten free. Eat more wholesome foods, cut out the processed stuff, sure. But one piece of bread isn't going to make your uterus a hostile environment.
honeydew / 7916 posts
It could help if you have a specific reason to avoid gluten, but you should also keep in mind that a gluten-free diet in the absence of a condition like celiac can actually harm your health by causing nutritional deficiencies.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/going-gluten-free-just-because-heres-what-you-need-to-know-201302205916
grapefruit / 4278 posts
Keep in mind too, that a lot of people with PCOS have insulin resistance. Going GF naturally reduces the processed and simple carbohydrates in one's diet. Which in turn, will improve the insulin resistance, which can improve the PCOS and improve the possibility of conceiving.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
I don't think it's really nice or fair to call someone's attempt at getting pregnant or prevent miscarriages as "silly".
@LovelyPlum: I see no harm to your health in going GF. So if upon further research you think it might help, I don't see why not?
cherry / 165 posts
@kiddosc: @regberadaisy: agree with you both! Won't hurt, and might help. I think the idea that you need grains to have adequate nutrition is not true at all.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
I had a friend who agreed it helped with her PCOS to conceive.
bananas / 9899 posts
@kiddosc: You could also just eat less carbs and more whole grains to manage insulin resistance.
@regberadaisy: Like Spaniellove pointed out, going gluten free can harm your health. Sorry if I offended you, but I see everyone jumping on to this gluten free bandwagon and I think it's just a fad, personally. It's great if you are celiac, but otherwise just regular ol' healthy eating never goes out of style and has always worked. I'm skeptical that gluten free is legitimately helping anyone who doesn't actually have an intolerance for it.
pear / 1571 posts
@pui: Just pointing out that there's a difference between Celiac and a gluten intolerance. I don't have Celiac, but I do have an intolerance. My symptoms are all in my head- after being glutened, even in small amounts, I deal with some pretty dreadful depression and anxiety for a week afterwards.
I don't believe being completely gluten-free is right for everyone, but I think cutting down on it a lot can be very helpful for most people. And many people who have an intolerance don't even know about it until they go GF and certain symptoms they've dealt with all their lives just go away. Our bodies don't know how to handle the high-gluten content wheat that's being grown today, compared to 50 years ago. The new hybrids are the real trends, not the lower gluten diets.
In answer to the question, yes, I think going GF can be helpful for conceiving, particularly in cases of PCOS.
bananas / 9899 posts
@FarmWifeGina: I've heard and read this all before and I'm still skeptical, but to each their own.
I also think it's dangerous to say that going gluten free alone will help insulin resistance for PCOS. Lots of these packaged gluten free foods are full of sugar and other questionable things. I still believe that the best idea is to focus on eating clean and healthy and exercising everyday.
pomegranate / 3331 posts
@spaniellove: this! As someone who has celiac, it is harder to make sure i am getting all of the vitamins and nutrients that I need, as some as just more prevalent in things like whole wheat. it is constantly being hailed as a fix-it for so many problems, but only a few select groups of people will benefit from it.
If you are having digestion/thyroid problems, i would say going gf may help, and CERTAINLY if you have celiac. but if you don't, it may not be great to simply eliminate a certain type of food. I would recommend keeping a food diary and tracking what you are eating to make sure you are eating a balanced diet, but i'm not sure a gluten free diet will help you get pregnant unless you have a medical reason to avoid gluten (obviously non-celiac gluten intolerance is also a medical reason to avoid gluten, if you have reactions to it at all, and i think conditions that involve malabsorption may possibly be helped by avoiding gluten).
persimmon / 1135 posts
i have pcos and my acupuncturist recommended gluten free, soy free, and no artificial sweeteners or added sugars. i already am a freak about what i eat, so this wasn't so hard for me to do. i do not have a gluten allergy/intolerance, but i do feel a lot better off gluten
pear / 1571 posts
@pui: Agreed. A lot of the GF packaged are full of crap. Personally, I cook almost everything from scratch, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and just avoid stuff that would naturally contain gluten- bread, pasta, cookies, etc. Once in a great while I indulge or use a paleo recipe to satisfy my craving. But I'm 22 weeks pregnant and really in perfect health, according to my midwife, who tests for more levels than your standard care provider.
pear / 1693 posts
Even if you don't have Celiacs or gluten intolerance, gluten causes inflammation. I think cutting it out can help your body achieve a more optimal level of health, as long as you aren't replacing the gluten with nutritionally empty foods (many gluten free replacement foods are nutritionally empty). I can see how this would help you get pregnant. I was about 95% gluten free when I got pregnant.
Interesting fact, much of the wheat grown nowadays is much higher in gluten than it was in the past. This is because the wheat is hardier and grows higher yields, but one of the effects is a much higher gluten level.
pear / 1571 posts
@JessKas: And higher gluten content is a desirable quality since that's what gives bread *that* texture and better rising. Nom, bread...
eggplant / 11408 posts
Thanks everyone. I really appreciate everyone's thoughtful responses.
I agree that going gluten-free isn't for everyone, and that it doesn't necessarily make you healthier. I am also pretty sure that going GF can sometimes hurt...I did it once before I had my gallbladder out, and it made me *so* sick-my problem wasn't wheat, it was that I couldn't process fat and super acidic foods. A sa result, doing things like nuts and fruit was a disaster.
That being said, I've seen a few places that it can help with infertility. I already avoid processed foods, track what I eat, and exercise several days a week. My weight is (now) in check, and I'm feeling overall pretty healthy. In general, I don't eat a lot of bread or pasta.
I guess my question had more to do with would there be a point in trying to go GF all the way? I have been diagnosed with mild PCOS in the past, and I wad on Metformin for two years. My current doctor is a little skeptical of that diagnosis, though, so we are looking in to it. My thyroid function is normal, which is good. I ovulate regularly, and as most of you know, I can get pregnant. The problem is staying that way. So, I guess I'm not sure if GF helps you to get pregnant or stay pregnant. If the former, I could take or leave it. If the latter, though, I'm all ears...
nectarine / 2936 posts
I've been GF for 5 years because of gluten intolerance. I don't have celiac, but get extremely ill when I eat gluten. Obviously it hasn't helped me in my TTC journey, but prior to being GF I had polycystic ovaries and now they no longer appear to be polycystic. There is some research suggesting a link between the two, but my doctors have never acted like they felt there was a huge connection. I don't think everyone needs to be on a GF diet and I definitely don't think it will help you lose weight (quite the contrary for me). As for fertility, I'm really not sure. I was encouraged by my own anecdotal evidence, but I haven't gotten a bfp yet. @lovelyplum I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have. 
grapefruit / 4278 posts
@pui: Yea, I wasn't saying that you need to go GF to manage insulin resistance. I was trying to say that the reason some people might claim that going GF helps with fertility is because of the way that it would help with insulin resistance for those that have been nomming on the white bread a little too much. FWIW, I think GF is a fad too.
pear / 1799 posts
I went gf because my digestion & body were totally out of whack ...then, I got my bfp after that.
honeydew / 7235 posts
This is so interesting -- never heard this before.
I have no idea if you should be GF before, during or both!?
I have celiac disease, so it is important for me to be strictly gluten free. When I was pregnant I was even more careful than normal i was so freaked to get accidentally glutened!
I could see going GF if you have any autoimmune issues as it does help many of them...
@Pirouette: I didn't know anyone else on here had celiac! Hello!
It's sad that people think of being GF a fad, but, I get it... It's exploded and there is a lot of misinformation out there - but it makes it hard for people to take seriously and it's medically necessary for me!
bananas / 9899 posts
@hellobeeboston: My sister in law is celiac so I understand it's medically necessary for some people, of course! It just seems like so many people are caught up in the hype of it.
honeydew / 7235 posts
@pui: totally! I feel like they are ruining it for the rest of us! Ha.... Oh well. 
pomegranate / 3331 posts
@hellobeeboston: haha i totally picked your brain on it a few months ago right before i got pregnant, because i was terrified of getting glutened while pregnant!
pomelo / 5228 posts
@pui: I totally agree with you that it seems to be an annoying fad, but the whole point of it was explained to me yesterday, and unfortunately its my new reality. However, lots of people jump on the bandwagon because it sounds like a great idea, not because they need it.
Gluten is inflammatory and acts like antibodies in our system. As @justdarling: pointed out, this causes our bodies to be in attack mode all the time. For most women, no problem. But I also have an autoimmune condition (maybe more than one) so extra antibodies and inflammation means that an embryo is having a tough time implanting. This means that my body is literally attacking the embryo (potentially by throwing micro blood clots at it), and by having more antibodies around it makes the whole thing worse. I don't plan on being GF forever, but I'd like to have a healthy pregnancy, so it looks like this may be the only way.
blogger / honeydew / 7081 posts
I have PCOS and I went mostly carb-free, because of insulin resistance. I wasn't totally gluten-free, but cut out most wheat/processed carbs and focussed more on cutting down on the sugars as well.
It REALLY helped - the weight loss alone greatly contributed to regulating cycles and things like that.
eggplant / 11408 posts
@Mrs.Someone: I was partly thinking about you. (and @Running Elley) when I wrote this. This makes it sound like going GF can actually affect implantation, not just ovulation. That is what I'm really interested in.
Ok, so next question: would.it be too late to try this cycle? I'm 2-3 DPO.
eggplant / 11408 posts
@redsmarties: I also thought about this-because diabetes runs in my family, so my doctor thought if I did have pcos, it was likely a manifestation of insulin resistance. So I have also been looking at recipes, etc, for low-carb options.
pomelo / 5228 posts
@LovelyPlum: I thought you might have been I've heard that it takes 2 weeks to make a difference, so you're right on the cusp. It can't hurt at least!
coconut / 8681 posts
I was going to say the same thing as @Mrs.Someone: -I've read that it takes 2 weeks to get the gluten out of your system. I'd go for it.
blogger / honeydew / 7081 posts
@LovelyPlum: Honestly, going low carb made me feel AWESOME. Once baby's here and I'm not worried about affecting breastfeeding, I'll go back to it for sure.
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 0 |
| Posts | 1 | 0 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
55 comments