Pregnancy outcome of patients with celiac disease

Celiac disease, i.e. permanent intolerance to gluten, has an autoimmune mechanism and is commonly undiagnosed. Controversy exists among the literature regarding the association between celiac and infertility, abortions, intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR), and stillbirths. Individuals with celiac disease may be subfertile, or suffer infertility or repeat spontaneous abortions (RSA's). If pregnancy is achieved without treating the disease, there are often higher rates of IUGR, and low birthweight (LBW) compared to the general population. However, even when properly managed, adverse effects are still possible and "silent" cases of celiac disease have been found to also impose risk. Therefore, celiac disease should be considered among idiopathic infertility, RSA's, and IUGR. It should be immediately and strictly treated in order to avoid future risks, and fetal growth must be monitored throughout pregnancy. Control of a gluten-free diet is important in terms of healthy reproduction and further studies should focus on screening for celiac disease.