One of the ways coeliac disease affects women, in particular, is in the area of fertility. I didn’t know that until recently when the team at Coeliac NZ told me about research into the disease and fertility, which found that between 2.5-10 per cent of women with unexplained infertility are found to have undiagnosed or untreated coeliac disease.
Pip Meads, 35, was one of those women. Diagnosed five years ago, she suspects undiagnosed coeliac disease could have contributed to the health issues she experienced both before and after her first pregnancy.
In the months before becoming pregnant, Pip was doing everything right: taking a highly recommended pregnancy multi-vitamin, eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.