Zombie Research Institute

Reproductive System

Female

In women, celiac disease is associated with infertility and low birthweight babies.

Coeliac disease and problems associated with reproduction.

Celiac disease. Risk factors for women in reproductive age.

Infertility and coeliac disease.

Celiac disease and fertility disorders in women.

I believe that orexin dysfunction can explain the infertility. Orexin cells innervate the ovaries.

Orexin stimulates the secretion of luteinizing hormone hormone which triggers ovulation, the release of the ovum from the follicle.
Low orexin creates multiple immature follicles on the ovary instead of one viable ovum. These may become cystic.

I believe this may also account for some cases of premenstrual disorders. The immature follicles are incapable of producing progesterone which has been associated with symptoms of PMS.

Higher levels of estrogen curtail synapsin activity .

Males

Celiac disease and diabetes are both associated with sexual dysfunction in men.

Reproductive aspects of celiac disease

Affected males show a picture of tissue resistance to androgens; the increases of follicle-stimulating hormone and prolactin may indicate an imbalance at the hypothalamus-pituitary level.

Androgen deficiency, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome in men.

Cross-sectional studies have found that between 20 and 64% of men with diabetes have hypogonadism, with higher prevalence rates found in the elderly.

Most celiac explanations of reproductive disorders invoke endocrine dysfunction due to nutritional malabsorbtion. I suspect theres a much more efficient mechanism going directly through the orexin system (in the hypothalamus).

Pattern of orexin expression and direct biological actions of orexin-a in rat testis.

Orexin-A significantly increased basal testosterone secretion in a dose-dependent manner. We provide evidence for the regulated expression of orexin in the rat testis and its potential involvement in the control of seminiferous tubule functions. pdf

Characteristics of orexin receptors in the male reproductive system.

Orexin receptors are expressed in the testis, epididymis, penis, and seminal vesicle. Besides playing a role in the regulation of feeding and energy homeostasis in rats, orexin appears to increase sexual arousal as well as copulatory performance. pdf