Hi all, up until about a month ago I had only vaguely heard of Celiac disease. I went to my doctor on February 8, to have a yearly physical. She knew about my past history with fertility problems and I told her that I had been diagnosed with PCOS about a year prior by my reproductive endocrinologist. The first thing she said to me is "have you ever been tested for Celiac disease?". The answer of course was no so she ordered some blood work to be done that day. She did the gene testing and the antibody testing. I still haven't heard anything as of yet. My current symptoms include:

Red itchy rash that I've had for some time on my back

Diarrhea/constipation (with mostly diarrhea) for several years now

Infertility

Bloating/abdominal pain

Family history of autoimmune disease, although no one has been diagnosed with Celiac disease

After doing research, a diagnosis of Celiac disease would make sense to me on so many levels. However, if I do not have the disease I'm wondering if I should start eliminating certain food groups until I find out what is causing this or perhaps see an allergist? Sorry for the long post I'm just wondering where I go from here.

Be thankful that your doctor suggested Celiac. It does sound quite possible, given your symptoms. However, no matter what the tests say, I'd recommend the gluten-free diet anyway, as I'm sure others here will too. This is because the tests often give false negatives, plain and simple. You may also find you need to eliminate other foods too, at least for a while. Dairy is probably the one to try first, along with going gluten-free. You can then try adding it back after you are feeling better.

Hope you feel better soon!

Welcome to the board!

Thanks, I wanted to share a few pics of possible Dermatitis Herpatiformis on my back. What do you think?

[img]http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/gluten_bad/Skinrash1.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg242/gluten_bad/Skinrash2.jpg[/img]

Well, I'm not a DH expert, but it does look similar to what I had. I'm sure others on the board will be able to judge better. Mine was (thankfully) somewhat mild, and now generally doesn't show itself very much or often.

Apparently, iodine can make it worse, so it is suggested to avoid foods high in iodine, such as kelp. Salt also seems to aggravate it, which I suppose is because of the increased water retention. Likely differs from person to person I'd guess.

I also have PCOS and have been having trouble getting pregnant. I am currently seeing a fertility doctor. I went gluten free without a solid diagnosis from my GI dr. He suggested I try it. I am hoping it also helps with the fertility issues. In my mind, if I feel this much better it has to help. I had similar symptoms of diaharria for years. So far I feel good though.