Coeliac disease and subfertility: association is often neglected

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7425.1226-e

BMJ 2003;327:1226-1227 (22 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7425.1226-e

Letter

Coeliac disease and subfertility: association is often neglected

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Taylor et al provided an excellent series of clinicalreviews on subfertility.¹ However, one medical condition thatwas not mentioned was coeliac disease.

Population screening in the United Kingdom has suggested thatcoeliac disease has a prevalence of 1%, and this is consistentwith other European countries.² The relation between coeliacdisease and subfertility is well described. Subfertility maybe the only presenting feature of coeliac disease.

Two recent studies have shown that the prevalence of unrecognisedcoeliac disease (as a cause of subfertility) in women presentingto subfertility clinics is in the range of 2.7-3%.^3
4 Not onlythis, but failure to recognise coeliac disease is also associatedwith a poorer outcome for the fetus. There may also be malegonadal dysfunction.⁵

Given these findings, surely it is time that clinicians listundiagnosed coeliac disease as an important consideration forpreconception advice (under the heading of unrecognised or . . . [Full text of this article]

David S Sanders, consultant gastroenterologist

Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield S10 2JF d.s.sanders28@btopenworld.com

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