Monday, September 13, 2010

Saying goodbye to my friend Gluten – Day 18/19

For any of you who have read my blog you know by now that we have been struggling with infertility. We stopped treatments when we moved to Utah at the end of June. After our last bout of injections and IUI’s I decided I needed a break. With the move and getting settled and starting a new job, the hubs and I aren’t ready quite yet to jump back into treatments. However, my yearning for a baby as not diminished! We were in church yesterday and I felt like we were surrounded by little babies and all the sudden I got so sad because the thought struck me that we may never be one of those couples.

During our treatment break I have been doing a lot of research and basically trying more natural ways to maybe get pregnant without having to go back to the RE. One of my biggest frustrations since stopping the treatments has been the fact that my stomach has remained supper bloated, my face has broken out a ton and I am cramping all the time. Due to the PCOS I don’t really ovulate on my own and I hardly ever have a true period. Last month (the first month off treatment) I ended up having a period on my own which gave me hope that maybe we could do this naturally (not that going back is bad or anything). After that period I started to take mucus thinning meds and tried to chart my temp but I wasn’t very consistent. I also didn’t have any noticeable cervical mucus during the whole month so it was kind of hard to chart my ovulation (if I ovulated at all). One thing I found out from my last RE is that my follicles don’t like to release the egg..grrr!

Anyways, right before the accident I started spotting very lightly and it lasted off and on for a few days. I really thought I might be starting my period but it was around day 21 of my cycle so I thought that was a little soon. I never ended up having my period but I did take a pregnancy test just out of curiosity at day 28 which turned out negative. As of now it is around day 34 of my cycle with no AF. I was hoping maybe all the drugs pumped into me had straightened my body out but so far it seems to be going back to it’s old ways only worse because now I have the after affects of the treatment to deal with!

For those of you who have gone through treatments and then stopped without a pregnancy did you deal with any of this? Did your body ever go back to the way it was before treatments?

So all this to say that I was doing some research last night and found several studies that link gluten intolerance to infertility. I was shocked..I know most of you probably already know this :) You see, my sister has PCOS and she found out about a year ago that she is gluten intolerant. She deals with other health issues too so I really didn’t think anything of it in regards to me. The symptoms that lead her to her diagnosis weren’t ones that I was having. However in my research last night it said that sometimes infertility can be the only symptom of gluten intolerance. Also, I have had stomach problems for many years and was diagnosed with IBS about 5 years ago. My issues come and go so I never really do anything about them. But as I was reading last night it dawned on me that my severally bloated tummy might be caused by some sort of gluten intolerance. According to my family doc although there is a test for celiac disease it isn’t a for sure and you can test negative and still be gluten intolerant.

I don’t know if going off gluten will help but I am willing to give it a try. It is kind of helpful that my sis has already been going through this because I am more aware of what does and does not contain gluten. This is going to be very hard because I love most everything that contains gluten. Oh how I am going to miss bread, muffins, cookies, cupcakes and all that yummy baked goods! Luckily most fro yo is gluten free!!

Well I guess I will see how it goes and in a couple months if there is no change then bring on the gluten again :)

Wish me luck because I am going to need it!

8 comments:

  1. Do you think maybe you should take another pregnancy test? That last one was awfully early.

    My little boy is allergic to gluten, and it has gotten so much easier. I hope you find a gluten-free bakery in your city...we did and it has made a world of difference! Also, google gluten-free recipes and you'll find a ton of things to make. Finally, buy Udi's bread. It's expensive but worth it!

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  2. Also, take B6. It helps regulate hormones and help fertility. I promise, it's amazing how regular and healthy it can make you body. It's proven to help fertility too.

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  3. Hi Ashley! This might be semi awkward because we've never met. I don't even remember how I stumbled onto your blog but it has been really interesting to me because 1. My sister in law is struggling with infertility issues so a lot of your posts are sadly familiar. 2. I'm a runner, too! and 3. You're a military wife and that instantly puts you way up there on my list of amazing people. :)
    After being sick for months last year, I finally went gluten free, too (I also have multiple family members who are gluten intolerant). It's been almost a year now and I can say with confidence that it has made a big difference. Your family is right about the test--it's really not necessary because it's so unreliable. I was told by a doctor (I think he was an allergist. It was my boss' brother) that you really need to completely remove an allergen from your body for SIX weeks to cleanse your system before reintroducing it to your body to check for a reaction (because if you ARE intolerant, your body will react definitively after 6 weeks off of it). Just wanted to throw that out there are you starting this out. A lot of people try it out for a week or two and quit because they don't feel like they've noticed enough change. Don't give up that fast or you might miss out! :)
    Again, hope this wasn't too weird! I enjoy your blog!

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  4. What a great blog!

    Have a nice time!
    Paula

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  5. I have a friend who's had fertility issues and she went gluten free to help with it too. I think it's definitely worth a try. Note: You don't have to give up cookies! There are alot of gluten free cookie/brownie/cake/bread mixes these days that are available at most grocery stores. Also, you can use rice flour instead of wheat flour to avoid the gluten too - rice flour cookies and stuff tend to turn out more spongy, so you may need to experiment a little, but you can still make breads and such using rice flour. Good luck!

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  6. I had a test for gluten intolerance, and then they tested me for celiacs because I was intolerant to glutens. They're levels of gluten intolerance, and mine wasn't very high..like 21...and 30 is supposed to be really bad. Cutting back on glutens is a great way to lose weight b/c it's mostly carbs. Besides they have tons of gluten free foods in the specialty section of the grocery stores now. :) Good luck.

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  7. I don't know anything about going gluten free, but I really hope this helps you! Let us know how it goes.

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