Can one develop allergy to an IUD?

Sure, some women do develop an allergy to an IUD, but the allergy is usually to the copper, which is part of the device. To check for copper allergy one can have a simple skin test at the doctor’s office. Of if, you want to save money, just apply a piece of copper jewelry on your skin for a few days and see what happens. In most cases, if you are allergic, the skin will go red and will become itchy. Today, there are IUDs available that do not contain copper.

Transmitting peanut allergy during pregnancy!

Why so many children are developing peanut allergy has become a mystery. At least 6% of children under the age of 3 suffer from some type of food allergy. Approximately 2% of these children are allergic to peanuts. What has become worrisome is that the numbers of children with peanut allergies has grown exponentially in the last 2 decades. How young children become sensitized to peanuts so early and what is the source of this allergy are two questions that have never been adequately answered. 

Now there is some evidence that perhaps the allergy to peanut may have its roots in pregnancy. A recent study led by Dr Scott Sicherer at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York suggests that that there is a strong link between pregnancy and this common skin disorder. Dr Sicherer discovered that infants, who had signs of allergies to milk and egg at a young age, also had higher levels of antibodies to peanuts especially when the mother ate many peanuts during pregnancy.

Dr Sicherer and his group focused on babies who reacted to milk and eggs because these children are also likely to have peanut allergy.

Dr Sicherer did point out that just having high levels of antibody to peanuts does not directly suggest allergy to peanuts but it is strong sign that there is a greater risk of developing allergy in the near future.

This study has now opened up a Pandora’s Box. Should pregnant mothers now watch their diet to reduce the risk of allergies in their children?

In the past the America Academy of Pediatrics has been fluctuating in its advice for mothers-to-be regarding food allergies and diet. Most pediatric physicians have advised women with a history of food allergies to avoid highly allergenic foods such as peanuts during pregnancy. This belief is based on the hypothesis that if the mothers eat less allergenic foods, the infant will have a reduced chance of developing allergies to foods.

So should mothers start stop eating peanut? Dr Sicherer says not yet because there have been no follow up studies on these infants to determine if they actually develop allergies to peanut. There are also some experts who believe that the increased allergies may be related to the environment and not to the peanuts as such. Some allergy experts believe that  newborns are now begin exposed to much more cleaner environments after birth and somehow the body reacts more intensely to foreign protein such as food under the erroneous mistaken that these are harmful toxins.

To further complicate matters there is also evidence that suggests that gradually exposing peanut allergic infants to increasing amounts of peanuts may be a way to desensitize them. So for the moment, there is no solid evidence to advise mothers one way or the other about eating peanuts. However, common sense suggests that one should be cautious about exposing the fetus to allergenic foods, especially if there is a family history.