I Have Celiac Disease Because My Parents Had Sex in September

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Attention all parents-to-be: If you don’t want your kids to have celiac disease, do not have sex in the fall and winter.

Who knew it could be so simple??

Here’s the theory, as pointed out in the New York Times a few days ago:

Some researchers suspect that babies born in spring and summer are more susceptible to celiac disease, which is triggered by the gluten in wheat, barley and rye.

Babies usually begin eating foods containing gluten around 6 months of age, so those born in the warmer months would initially be exposed to gluten in the winter, when infections like cold and flu are common. Could early exposure to viral infections play a role in the autoimmune response to gluten?

For now that remains speculation. But at least three studies have backed the seasonal hypothesis.

I was born in June; therefore conceived in September (and yes I had to use my fingers to count back the nine months).

I have three older brothers, none of them born in the spring/summer months (I’m pretty confident my parents only had sex those four times).

Alas, I was the only one inflicted with celiac disease.

If that’s not proof, I don’t know what is.

So for all those newlyweds out there, hold off on those desires until the winter passes.

As your future child is enjoying a slice of pizza and a 90 minute IPA, he’ll be so ever grateful.

Dude note: While my family luckily made it through Hurricane Sandy relatively unscathed, the destruction in the tri-state area is unimaginable. I spent the first 18 years of my life enjoying summers on Long Beach Island and seeing the video of LBI in Sandy’s aftermath brings tears to my eyes. If you’re the praying type, please send some to those in need. If you’d like to help in other ways, please visit this page. Thank you.

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42 thoughts on “I Have Celiac Disease Because My Parents Had Sex in September”

  1. hmmm… I was born in May so conceived in Oct… My brother with Crohn’s in July, My sister with IBS September, and my brother who’s fine October…… pattern?

    My kids were born in Sept (totally fine) and July (so medically messed up you wouldn’t believe.. but no Celiac)….. weird..

  2. May baby here but my daughter is a late October baby (just turned 18 *cry*) and we are currently trying a GF diet on her. She has many stomach and skin issues and her GI doc was dicking us around so we decided to try the diet on our own. She went GF for a week then cheated for her birthday and was stuck in the bathroom the next morning. I think we’ve got it figured out.

      1. hahahahaha “dicking us around” …excellent, Jules! Guess that brain fog has cleared, girlfriend. 🙂

        and yes, Dana, I think you guys have it figured out.
        tell her, ” welcome to the fold”.
        Here’s to her long, healthy and happy life!
        Cheers, IH

  3. October 25 – Celiac!
    Daughter June 6 – not Celiac so far.

    They are reaching but it did make me smile.

    Prayers going up for all of you dealing with the mass destruction.

  4. Oops! January baby and newly-diagnosed Celiac… Obviously, my parents were “thinking” about sex in the Fall and Winter…

  5. Hmmmm… I just had my birthday a couple of weeks ago. So my parents were conceiving me in the winter… still have Celiacs… My sister was born in September. Which means my parents really did do it a lot in the winter months. Must’ve had to stay warm in Seattle somehow. She still has Celiacs too. My Siblings born in April, May, June and December… no Celiacs (my parents liked to “keep warm” a lot). I’m just not seeing that pattern.

      1. Ha ha ha ha. Nope. Just Seattle (and we have no religious convictions about birth control). My parents just liked to *clears throat*…. Maybe it’s just that peace, love, and happiness from the 60’s and 70’s that made them like babies. 😉

  6. Well, I’m february my daughter september and son feb.. All celiac.. Good theory though… Side note my son never had a virus preceliac and has oddly enough not had one since, any sickness he gets is 100% food related… I think that is his super power, incredible immune system for an auto immune disease lol (he will be 3 in february).

  7. Hmm, my brothers were born in February not celiac, me in September, I am celiac, my daughter born in September, probably, but my other daughter born in April definitely not.
    I still think it’s just one of those things! Some of us get the looks, brains, and the celiac, others get good healthy non-auto-immune-disease affected lives.

  8. Hmm I was born in December and my siblings were born in the spring and summer. There are 7 total and I am the only with celiac. I always knew there was something wrong with my family! 😉

    This cracked me up!

  9. I’m a September baby with Celiac; however, my cousin is a January baby who was just diagnosed. Interesting twist though – she has the non-symptomatic kind. Coincidence? Who knows!!!

  10. November baby here –Thanksgiving to be exact ( and I am the product of a Valentine’s Day date, so I am told) and I have celiac.

    So much for this spring/summer theory.

    I am the first DIAGNOSED celiac in a large extended family. Notice I said DXed? It’s because I know there are others, but they have their heads in the sand and will not get tested. I think the genetics plays a bigger part than anything else.

    I saw this article last week and what troubled me is that they actually spent money on this “research” when it could have been spent on…. oh, I dunno, maybe stocking food pantries with GF pastas or crackers or Gift certificates for a supermarket to help celiacs who have to turn to food pantries in times of need?

    Oh, there I go again, being all rational and stuff. 🙂

    I’m with celiac mindwarp–celiacs are brainy and hot!— and that makes more sense than looking for a seasonal correlation.

    And a big P.S.
    I am sick to my stomach about the devastation. I am a mere 3 hours away and have no damage. NYC is my playground and where I was married and I hate to see the suffering of any people. The Red Cross can use donations. Thanks guys!

    1. 25,108

      One small step forward…thankful that our community did not fall short of the target needed for an official response 🙂

  11. if its about when your parents had sex, i’m living proof that this theory has been disproved! If I was born in february, then they must have done the deed in may. Sorry scientists.

    1. I’m also a July baby and have CD. My sister, also diagnosed, was born in December (but 6 wks premature, so let’s say January-February). My dad, with all symptoms but no official diagnosis, born in April.

  12. So they have a hypothesis that if the first introduction to wheat coincides with a viral exposure, then the two together may become a catalyst to set off Celiac? Interesting. Doesn’t really explain what happened to the rest of us, but it would be a good reason for parents to not introduce wheat until the cold/flu season has passed.

    I look forward to seeing what other studies show. I still think it’s because wheat today isn’t the same wheat that was once in our food supply.

    1. True, true, Miss Dee. Our wheat today is not even the same as Gramma’s wheat, so yes, I agree and I think it is a huge factor.

      I read this interview recently with Dr. Fasano. He says, in part ” Ten thousand years ago there were no gluten grains. Wheat, rye, barley and triticale are relatively new grains that have been introduced to our diet. We haven’t had enough time to evolve in order to digest these grains properly. In recent years the protein content has increased greatly in our modern wheat. Now, 14% of dry wheat is gluten. This is a lot. I understand why this has happened – more gluten gives characteristics to baked goods that are more desirable, like more elasticity; it’s more palatable, but less digestible.”

      HIGH gluten content. Our wheat’s been engineered.

      So, if you’re genetically predisposed, and you are given that first zwiebeck cookie and cheerios as a babe and then have some sort of “trigger” —it is believed you set off the mechanism.

      Most if us cannot trace the exact moment this happened, perhaps, but I can list the ones I certainly had in my life that have been labeled as “triggers”: a viral infection, pregnancies, trauma or injury, extreme stress.

      I just was not born in the spring or summer.

    2. You’re right. Our wheat isn’t the same as decades ago. Gluten serves as a natural pesticide for wheat which makes the wheat stronger and more resilient. It’s considered good agriscience to propigate the stronger species so there is naturally more gluten in wheat grown today. I’m just figuring out how to search for old plant species like my grandparents grew for my own garden instead of just buying what’s at the farm supply store. I’m no scientist but my gut tells me it’s important.

  13. The ages that people introduce “solids” and even what type of “solid” food is given to babies has changed over the years. I remember my grandmas saying they gave babies rice in thier formula/milk at 2 months old or younger to try to get them to sleep all night. They didn’t give them Cheerios and fancy baby food.

    I think they should think about that in thier little “scientific study”.

    Most Celiacs I know have a fall birhday.

  14. I was born in Oct. I have Celiac. Sister was born Jan. No Celiac.
    My Mom born Feb, no Celiac .Dad was born August, no celiac.

    My kids :
    Youngest , Sept no Celiac. Middle, May no Celiac. Oldest, July no Celiac.

    Hmmm…riddle me that batman.

  15. Interesting and maybe there is something to this theory. I was born in June too and was just diagnosed with Celiacs!.things that make you go hmmmm…

  16. I was born right at the beginning of Spring- March 17th and I have CD. Theory proven! But wait, my husband I have 8 kids. 7 of which are gluten intolerant and have all the symptoms of Celiac Disease..All of them but one where born in the winter-hmmm theory blown out of the water lol

  17. I was born November 5 and found out a year ago that I have celiac disease. My brother was born June 1st and we’re still testing to see if he has celiac.

  18. I was born in March, and 3/4 of the people I know with Celiac are spring or summer born. Also, why count back 9 months when you can just count ahead 3?!

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