Can Chiropractic Help With Infertility? How Does Chiropractic Help Me Conceive?
From the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health comes a case study and literature review published on July 7, 2016, documenting a case of infertility being resolved with chiropractic. Infertility is the inability to conceive within one year of attempting to get pregnant.
The study begins by noting that about 85% of couples attempting to conceive are successful in the first year. Therefore, a timeframe longer than one year is classified as infertility. It is estimated that 6 million couples are struggling with infertility in the United States.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common form of infertility that prevents ovulation. It affects approximately 6.6% of reproductive-aged women and is characterized by swollen ovaries, cysts or follicles on ovaries, infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne, and obesity. Women with PCOS often have difficulty becoming pregnant, and could develop other health issues such as diabetes and heart disease.
In this case, a 30-year-old woman went to the chiropractor with a chief complaint of ulcerative colitis and neck pain which extended into her upper back. She was also suffering from tension headaches on a regular basis. Her history revealed three car accidents with the oldest dating back to over 30 years ago. She also reported that she had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). She was unable to get pregnant and was told by her MD that her ovaries were “covered in cysts.”
A chiropractic examination was performed which included a spinal analysis, postural analysis, leg length analysis, static palpation, motion palpation, paraspinal thermography, and spinal x-rays to determine the levels of vertebral subluxation. Based on the findings, chiropractic care was initiated to address the spinal subluxations at the rate of two visits per week.
By the fifth chiropractic visit, the patient reported that her neck pain had significantly decreased, and she reported having no headaches that week. By her 14th visit, the woman reported that she was no longer having pain from her ulcerative colitis.
As she continued her care, she noticed that she had begun ovulating for the first time in eight years. Because of this, the woman and her husband decided to try to conceive again. This time, after only the first attempt, they were successful and she became pregnant. Shortly over 40 weeks later, she gave birth to a baby boy. The woman continued under wellness chiropractic care and, one year later, became pregnant again, delivering a baby girl 9 months later.
In the study conclusion, the author wrote, “Chiropractic adjustments, resulting in reduced vertebral subluxations, appear to have benefited a female who was previously anovulatory. Reduction of vertebral subluxations may have a relationship to improved female fertility and the ability to achieve pregnancy.”
If you or anyone you know could benefit from a better functioning nervous system, please call us at 512-452-2525 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Swanson. We are located in north central Austin, TX.
The study notes that hypothyroidism is the number one endocrinological condition seen world-wide. People with hypothyroidism can typically experience joint pain, cold intolerance, constipation, depression, difficulty concentrating, dry skin, fatigue, hair thinning, hair loss, memory impairment, muscle pain, weakness and weight gain. Medical treatment of this condition is typically medications given to replace the hormone not being produced by the thyroid.