| Here's how to tell if a gluten allergy is affecting your | | | | symptoms can be minor or even non-existent. |
| ability to get pregnant ...and what you can do! | | | | Instead, other symptoms move to the forefront, |
| Could You Have A Gluten Allergy? | | | | some of them quite diverse. These can include: |
| How To Tell ! | | | | * unexplained weight loss or gain. |
| While the exact cause of a gluten allergy - or Celiac | | | | * Unexplained iron deficiency or anemia. |
| disease - is not known, it is considered an | | | | * Vitamin K deficiency. |
| autoimmune disease, a condition wherein your body's | | | | * Bone or joint pain. |
| immune system attacks it own tissue. And, it can | | | | * Depression or anxiety. |
| also be hereditary. About 1 in 133 Americans have | | | | * Fatigue, weakness, or loss of energy. |
| the condition, but that number rises to 1 in 22 for if | | | | * Irregular menstrual cycles. |
| you have a family member who is also affected. | | | | * Canker sores in the mouth. |
| But just having the gene isn't enough to cause you | | | | * Blistery, itchy skin rash. |
| to develop the problem. Indeed, it is only when | | | | * Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel. |
| factors in your life and your lifestyle come together | | | | * Unexplained infertility. |
| with your genetic history that the condition takes | | | | * Chronic miscarriage. |
| hold. | | | | If, in fact, you do have any of the above symptoms, |
| For reasons we don't yet understand, a gluten allergy | | | | and particularly if you have more than one, then |
| can arise after a health trauma, such as an infection | | | | experts say speak to your doctor about the |
| or injury, or sometimes, after pregnancy, or after a | | | | following blood tests used to diagnose Celiac disease: |
| surgery. That said, the disease would not appear until | | | | * Total IgA |
| gluten is consumed. | | | | * IgA antitissue transglutaminase (tTG) |
| For many men and women the symptoms of a | | | | * IgA antiendomysial antibody immunofluorescence |
| gluten allergy are easy to spot: You simply don't feel | | | | (EMA) |
| well after eating foods that contain wheat, rye, or | | | | If IgA is deficient, IgG tTG test should also be |
| barley - such as breads , cereal, or pasta. Problems | | | | ordered. At thediscretion of the doctor, antigliaden |
| can include bloating, gas, diarrhea, and other | | | | IgG may also help nail down the problem. |
| gastrointestinal upsets that are had to miss. | | | | Depending on the results of these tests your doctor |
| Unfortunately , however, too many doctors still | | | | may also order a biopsy of your stomach lining to |
| misdiagnose this condition, instead labeling these | | | | know for certain if gluten sensitivity is your problem. |
| patients as having irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), an | | | | IMPORTANT TO NOTE: You must be eating gluten |
| entirely different condition requiring altogether | | | | foods at the time of your testing in order to get the |
| different treatment. | | | | proper diagnosis. So, if you believe you have a gluten |
| But this condition is also misdiagnosed for another | | | | allergy and want to be tested, don't change your diet |
| reason: Sometimes the telltale gastrointestinal | | | | until after the tests are done. |