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Review
. 2025 May 3;17(9):1575.
doi: 10.3390/nu17091575.

Fertility in Celiac Disease: The Impact of Gluten on Male and Female Reproductive Health

Herbert Wieser  1 , Carolina Ciacci  2 , Carlo Soldaini  2 , Carolina Gizzi  2 , Lucienne Pellegrini  2 , Antonella Santonicola  2
Affiliations
Review

Fertility in Celiac Disease: The Impact of Gluten on Male and Female Reproductive Health

Herbert Wieser et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Celiac disease (CeD) is a chronic immune-mediated disorder of the small intestine triggered by the ingestion of dietary gluten. This narrative review aims to summarize and critically evaluate the recent literature on the association between CeD and infertility, with an emphasis on identifying patterns and inconsistencies. Previous studies have reported conflicting findings: while some demonstrate a higher prevalence of unexplained infertility in patients with CeD, others do not support this association. Overall, untreated CeD may be a contributing factor to infertility, especially unexplained cases, and a gluten-free diet (GFD) might improve fertility outcomes. However, the general prevalence of infertility in CeD patients does not appear to exceed that of the general population. This review includes evidence on both male and female infertility and examines possible pathophysiological mechanisms, including nutritional deficiencies, immune-mediated effects, and sexual dysfunction. Further high-quality prospective studies are needed to determine the true impact of CeD on reproductive health and to inform screening guidelines.

Keywords: celiac disease; gluten; gluten-free diet; infertility.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram of search procedure.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A selection of studies about CeD and female, male, and couple infertility.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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