The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published a study on April 26, 2018, documenting the case of chiropractic care resolving infertility in a 30-year-old woman. As defined by the study, “Infertility is the inability to accomplish a pregnancy within one year of regular sexual intercourse without contraception.”
The statistics of infertility show that 20% are due to combined male and female factors, while 35% are due to solely male factors and equally 35% are due to female factors with the remaining 10% being attributed to unknown factors. In the U.S. alone, it was estimated that in 2010, 48.5 million couples were infertile.
According to an April 18, 2018, article in the US News and World Report, about 85,000 women undergo in vitro fertilization each year. The cost of such treatments is high with the article reporting that the average cost of IVF treatment, including cycle costs and medication, is $25,000. In most cases, two cycles are needed, bringing the total bill to near $50,000. With these figures, it is no wonder that more couples are turning to alternative care such as chiropractic for a possible solution.
In this case, a 30-year-old female nurse sought out chiropractic care. Her reason for seeking chiropractic was to see if she could be helped with her infertility issue. However, she was also suffering with headaches, low back pain and middle back pain. She had been diagnosed with infertility a year earlier and was trying a variety of medical approaches including performing temperature monitoring and purchasing ovulation kits for infertility as well as taking Clomid throughout days 5-9 of her cycle.
A chiropractic examination revealed spinal areas of increased sensitivity along with a decreased range of motion. Spinal x-rays showed a loss of normal curvatures and malpositioned vertebrae. Specific forms of chiropractic care were started to address the subluxations that were present.
The report shows that after two months of chiropractic care, she had ovulated for two months in a row for the first time. After three months of care, the woman had reported that she had conceived and was pregnant. Additionally, the other symptoms she initially had of headaches, lower and mid back pain were resolved.
In the discussion section of the study, the authors explain how chiropractic care is effective in cases of infertility. “How does chiropractic care and improvement of posture help resolve infertility? It is presumed that stimulation and relief of tension on the spinal cord and nerves play the key role in enabling a female patient to become fertile following chiropractic care. Structurally speaking this patient had vertebral subluxation and reduced sagittal curves throughout all regions in the spine. This lengthens the spinal canal and therefore exerts increased tension onto the spinal cord even during normal motions of the spine and neck. The resultant ‘pathologic’ neurological tensions are likely the culprit in neurologic compromise in function of the organs, including those related to fertility.”
If you or anyone you know could benefit from less interference within their nervous system, please call us at 512-452-2525 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Swanson. Chiropractor in Austin, TX.
The study begins by reporting that in the United States between 10-15% of couples have difficulty becoming pregnant or carrying the baby to normal term. Becoming pregnant gets progressively more difficult as a woman gets older. Between the ages of ages of 15-29 about 11% of women have difficulty conceiving. The difficulty in becoming pregnant increases in women between the ages of 35 and 39 to where 23% have difficulty becoming pregnant.
The study begins by noting that between 5-30% of the child population will suffer with this issue. More than one third of the cases become chronic, lasting for more than 8 weeks. The study reports that many factors can contribute to the issue including dehydration, dietary factors such as cows milk intolerance, or a change in diet. Certain organic issues can also lead to constipation as well as psychological factors including purposefully withholding stools which can become an acquired behavior in some children.
The study reports that an incessant crying baby is one of the most common reasons infants are brought to healthcare professionals in the first sixteen weeks of life. In many cases, infants are brought to the chiropractor after a visit to the pediatrician has failed to significantly remedy the issue of incessant crying.
The study begins by noting that children and infants are commonly brought to chiropractors. Over one-third (37.5 %) of children seek healthcare that falls into the category of complimentary or alternative medicine (CAM). Common in the CAM services is chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation. Some of the more common reasons that infants are brought to the chiropractor include excessive crying, feeding difficulties, infant colic and abnormal motor development.
The Health Affairs report begins by stating, “The United States has poorer child health outcomes than other wealthy nations despite greater per capita spending on health care for children.” The study looked at child mortality rates between 1961 and 2010 in the U.S. and compared this data to 35 other similar wealthy nations.
The study begins by noting that about 3-4% of pregnancies result in a breech presentation. Current medical thinking is that a breech birth represents a significant medical threat and therefore a Cesarean birth is normally recommended in these cases. Since, for many reasons, a normal head-first vaginal birth is preferable to a cesarean birth, any reasonable process that can correct the breech should be explored.
The authors of the study begin by pointing out that, “During pregnancy, the expectant mother is faced with many physiologic and biomechanical changes that affect her emotional, physical, and mental well-being. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is popular for women of childbearing age with prior use as the most significant independent associated factor for CAM use during pregnancy.”
The head down position, known as the vertex position, is the correct position for delivery as it provides the safest passage through the birth canal. A breech presentation is when either the feet or the buttocks are downward. According to this study, about 3.2% off all pregnancies are in a breech presentation during the last stages of pregnancy.
According to the study, the incidence of breech presentation occurs in 3%-4% of all labors and in 7% of all pregnancies at 32 weeks. The most common breech presentation is what is known as a frank breech presentation and occurs in 64% of all breech pregnancies. A frank breech presentation is when the fetus’s head is up, the legs are flexed at the hip with both knees extended, and the buttocks is down toward the birth canal.