What foods affect fertility?

While the exact cause of a gluten allergy - or Celiac disease - is not known, it is considered an autoimmune disease, a condition wherein your body's immune system attacks it own tissue. And, it can also be hereditary. About 1 in 133 Americans have the condition, but that number rises to 1 in 22 for if you have a family member who is also affected.

But just having the gene isn't enough to cause you to develop the problem. Indeed, it is only when factors in your life and your lifestyle come together with your genetic history that the condition takes hold.

For reasons we don't yet understand, a gluten allergy can arise after a health trauma, such as an infection or injury, or sometimes, after pregnancy, or after a surgery. That said, the disease would not appear until gluten is consumed.

For many men and women the symptoms of a gluten allergy are easy to spot: You simply don't feel well after eating foods that contain wheat, rye, or barley - such as breads , cereal, or pasta. Problems can include bloating, gas, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal upsets that are had to miss.

Unfortunately , however, too many doctors still misdiagnose this condition, instead labeling these patients as having irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), an entirely different condition requiring altogether different treatment.

But this condition is also misdiagnosed for another reason: Sometimes the telltale gastrointestinal symptoms can be minor or even non-existent. Instead, other symptoms move to the forefront, some of them quite diverse. These can include:

* unexplained weight loss or gain.
* Unexplained iron deficiency or anemia.
* Vitamin K deficiency.
* Bone or joint pain.
* Depression or anxiety.
* Fatigue, weakness, or loss of energy.
* Irregular menstrual cycles.
* Canker sores in the mouth.
* Blistery, itchy skin rash.
* Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel.
* Unexplained infertility.
* Chronic miscarriage.

If, in fact, you do have any of the above symptoms, and particularly if you have more than one, then experts say speak to your doctor about the following blood tests used to diagnose Celiac disease:

* Total IgA
* IgA antitissue transglutaminase (tTG)
* IgA antiendomysial antibody immunofluorescence (EMA)

If IgA is deficient, IgG tTG test should also be ordered. At the
discretion of the doctor, antigliaden IgG may also help nail down the problem.

Depending on the results of these tests your doctor may also order a biopsy of your stomach lining to know for certain if gluten sensitivity is your problem.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: You must be eating gluten foods at the time of your testing in order to get the proper diagnosis. So, if you believe you have a gluten allergy and want to be tested, don't change your diet until after the tests are done.

Next Up: Get Pregnant Faster With A Gluten-Free Diet