Women with Celiac disease, a digestive disorder caused by sensitivity to gluten, have fertility and pregnancy experiences similar to women without celiac disease, according to a population-based study.

Previous studies have raised concern about reduced fertility and increased adverse pregnancy-related events in women with celiac disease, ” Dr. L. J. Tata from the University of Nottingham in the UK and colleagues note in the medical journal Gastroenterology.

To look into this possibility, they compared data on fertility and pregnancy-related events in 1521 women with Celiac disease and 7732 age-matched women without celiac disease.

Fertility rates were similar between the two groups - the equivalent of 48.2 and 47.7 live births per 1000 persons per year, respectively - the team found.

Further analysis by age group indicated that women with celiac disease have lower fertility at younger ages but “catch up” at older ages, and this results in the same overall fertility, the investigators report.

However, the likelihood of having a cesarean delivery and a miscarriage were moderately higher in women with than without celiac disease. On the other hand, the risk of assisted birth, breech delivery, Preeclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, Ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth and termination were similar between the two groups.

“Reassuringly, given concerns about folate deficiency during pregnancy, which may occur in celiac disease, none of the 1521 women with celiac disease had babies with neural tube defects,” the researchers point out.

This study is the largest study of pregnancy-related outcomes in women with celiac disease and is the first to estimate fertility in this patient population, they also note.

SOURCE: Gastroenterology, April 2005.