Serological testing for celiac disease in women undergoing assisted reproduction techniques

BACKGROUND: The assertion of a causal relationship between celiac disease and infertility is suggested by several lines of research. Nevertheless, robust evidence has not yet been provided. The present study evaluated, for the first time, the prevalence of celiac disease in women undergoing assisted...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human reproduction (Oxford) 2006-02, Vol.21 (2), p.376-379
Main Authors: Tiboni, Gian Mario, de Vita, Maria Grazia, Faricelli, Raffaella, Giampietro, Franca, Liberati, Marco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
assisted reproduction techniques
Autoantibodies - blood
Biological and medical sciences
Biomarkers - blood
Biopsy
Celiac disease
Celiac Disease - complications
Celiac Disease - diagnosis
Celiac Disease - pathology
Female
Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics
Humans
infertility
Infertility, Female - complications
Italy
Jejunum - pathology
Medical sciences
Reproductive Techniques, Assisted
Risk Factors
serologic screening
Serologic Tests
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Summary:BACKGROUND: The assertion of a causal relationship between celiac disease and infertility is suggested by several lines of research. Nevertheless, robust evidence has not yet been provided. The present study evaluated, for the first time, the prevalence of celiac disease in women undergoing assisted reproduction techniques (ART). METHODS: Serum samples from 200 Italian women undergoing ART were evaluated for celiac disease by endomisium antibody (EMA) and transglutaminase antibody (t-TGA)—two highly sensitive and specific serological markers. Two hundred women not reporting reproductive problems and having delivered at least one child served as controls. In cases of positive serology, the diagnosis was confirmed by jejunal biopsy. RESULTS: Five (2.5%) women from the study group and two (1.0%) from the control group were found to have celiac disease (P = 0.44). The main indications for ART in women found to have celiac disease were tubal factor in two cases and male infertility in three cases. None of these women reported major gastrointestinal complaints. Extra intestinal signs linked to celiac disease were noted in four out of five patients. CONCLUSION: This study raises the issue of celiac disease screening in ART programmes. Given the available evidence in the literature combined with our observations from this study, the value of serological testing for celiac disease in infertile women remains uncertain. Further studies to address this issue are required.
ISSN:0268-1161
1460-2350
DOI:10.1093/humrep/dei314