Gluten is found in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten has been increasingly more prevalent in the American diet over the past several decades. This is resulting in a large majority of people being gluten intolerant or sensitive to gluten.
You do not need to have a positive endoscopic biopsy or blood test to have a problem with gluten. These abnormal results may not show up for awhile. It is more important that you pay attention to how you feel, not to lab tests.
It is a common misperception that gluten intolerance is simply having abdominal (stomach) bloating. Gluten intolerance can present as many different things including aches/pains, brain fog, skin rashes/disorders, etc. Your hormones can become disrupted as well. People who are gluten sensitive (or intolerant) tend to have thyroid issues as well as issues with their Progesterone, Testosterone, and Estrogen.
Part of optimizing hormones is giving you bio-identical hormones and another important piece of optimization is addressing your diet. The easiest thing to do is to take a month and avoid gluten completely. Focus on an organic whole food diet and pay attention to how you feel. Don’t be surprised if after that month you can more easily notice the symptoms that you get if you consume gluten. By avoiding gluten for a month you will have cleansed your system making it easier to detect symptoms.
It is imperative that food intolerances are addressed for hormone optimization. Work with your hormone specialist to devise the correct food plan for you. Gluten is simply one of the most commonly seen culprits in hormonal imbalance.