Coeliac disease and delayed menarche, amenorrhoea and early menopause

Delayed menarche, amenorrhoea and early menopause

Coeliac disease (CD) patients on a normal diet have a shorter reproductive period than the control population (17)

Sher and Mayberry investigated the age at menarche and menopause (1)

• noted that the mean age at menarche of CD patients was significantly higher (13.6 years vs 12.7 years in controls) and the mean age at menopause in CD patients and controls was 47.6 and 50.1 years, respectively (1)
  
  

Study evidence from Molteni et al comparing healthy controls with women with untreated CD

• investigated 54 women with untreated CD compared to 54 healthy controls, finding that the mean age of menarche was delayed in untreated patients with respect to controls (13.5 years vs 12.1 yeras); 38.8% of these patients reported amenorrhoea compared with 9.2% of controls
• the mean age of menopause onset was lower in patients with untreated CD (45.5 years) than in controls (49.5 years)

Reference:

• Sher KS, Mayberry JF. Female fertility, obstetric and gynaecological history in coeliac disease. Digestion 1994; 55: 24-36.
• Molteni N, Bardella MT, Bianchi PA. Obstetric and Gynecological problems in women with untreated celiac sprue. J Clin Gastroenterol 1990; 12: 37-9.