Can bile salt malabsorption cause infertility?

Hello people,:ghug:

I stumbled onto this forum whilst trying to find information on google about bile salt malabsorption. (Does anyone know a good website i can read?) Pleased i did, as there seems to be very little information out there.
I found out today that i have this condition after 22 years of my life sat on the toilet. It has taken the same amount of time trying to convince many doctors that there is more going on than just IBS.
Over the years i have had many tests, all of which has been negative and i have taken a vast amount of medication that seems to make my symptoms worse.
I suffer from constant diarrhoea, my record 22 visits to the toilet in a day. I often wander where on earth it all comes from. The diarrhoea is rancid, yellow in colour, can be froffy, and greasy. If that isn't bad enough it's hugely embarrassing, especially when you have to use public toilets, the sweat drips from your forehead, then the chills kick in, the stomach cramps are enough to make you want to drop to your knees and pray and then it's your turn for the cubicle and by god the noise that escapes from your ass with the force of the diarrhoea can be heard by all who is still waiting. And then there's the John Wayne walk. The acid has burnt your bum so bad you can barely walk properly and typically i've forgotten my nappy-rash cream....... Anyway as i am currently trying for a baby and not having any luck i thought i would try visiting my doctors again. I was once again referred for a colonoscopy and had several biopsies taken. I am still awaiting the results. I also had a SehCAT scan which identified that i have bile salt malabsorption. Ironic, as that week my diarrhoea had gone into remission and yet the scan still managed to identify this.
So my questions if anyone could take the time to answer is: Is bile salt malbsorption the same as Chrones? and if not what is the difference. My symptons fit Chrones apart from i have never lost any weight, in fact from 9 stones i have put on a stone and half in just 12 months. A total newy for me as i have never had problems with my weight and have always been slim but healthy. And can this condition cause infertility as i am now currently saving to pay for fertility treatment.

Thank you.

Louise

Hi Louise, welcome to the forum. Crohn's is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the digestive system - usually the small bowel. Because of the location of the inflammation, it can sometimes cause bile salt mal-absorption, but this can also be caused by other things.

Have your docs put you on anything? I have heard cholestyramine is good for this, but I have no experience with it myself. Has your stool been tested for C. diff? (I only mention this because bile diarrhea was basically my only symptom when I had it). I hope they figure out what's going on and get you some treatment that works. Welcome to the forum.

Hi Louise! I don't have any information/advice on bile sal malabsorption, but I wanted to welcome you to the forum. I sure hope your recent tests will give you some answers as to what is going on with your GI system. I hope you don't have Crohn's, but if you do, you can start an appropriate treatment plan and start to feel better. And as for Crohn's and pregnancy, if your Crohn's is in remission, it doesn't seem to have an affect on fertility. But I would assume active disease is another story, but I am no expert. You may want to visit the Pregnancy & Crohn's sub-forum under General IBD Discussion for more information.