Infertility Issues? Try Chiropractic before Hormone Injections

Thirty-five year-old Tracy had tried everything: monitoring her cycles through body temperature, over-the-counter fertility predictors and finally, fertility-enhancing drugs and in vitro fertilization. But after three years of trying, she still wasn't pregnant. She began to think she was "too old" to have a family, though she was seemingly in great physical shape.

Tracy is not alone. Thousands of women go to fertility specialists each year. "After fertility treatments fail, many women are told 'no' [about having children] because of their age," says Darcy Brown, DC. But chiropractic may offer hope. At least one recent study showed that, after receiving chiropractic care, previously infertile women were much more likely to become pregnant (Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, 2003). And while reasons behind chiropractic's success in treating infertility aren't certain, there are a number of possibilities why it may work.

Dr. Brown, who practices in Aspen, Colorado, believes proper alignment works in several ways to increase the likelihood of becoming and staying pregnant. Chiefly, improper alignment of the cranial, spinal, and pelvic bones can hinder the nervous system, which controls a woman's reproductive system, causing imbalances and hampering her ability to get and stay pregnant.

Distortions of the sphenoid bone in the skull- which can result from passage through the birth canal or from accidents later in life- are particularly problematic, says Brown, since misalignments there can affect the cranial nerve and pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is the regulator of a number of hormones important to fertility, including the follicle-stimulating hormone, estrogen, and progesterone. If any of these are out of balance, explains Brown, it can be very difficult to get pregnant.

Like Tracy, many of the patients Brown sees for infertility have tried everything. They come to chiropractic as a last resort. Brown first talks to them about their menstrual health history, noting signs of imbalance, which have often been problematic since the onset of menstruation, including heavy cramping, mood swings, and missing periods. "We balance the body [through chiropractic]," says Brown. Patients receive a combination of chiropractic and craniosacral adjustments, three times a week to start. After adjustments start to hold, patients visit once or twice a week.

How long should chiropractic take to work? Not long, says Brown. "We give it three months. Often women will become pregnant in the third or fourth month of treatment." Brown has an impressive 75 percent success rate so far. Unless there have been serious compromises to reproductive health, he says, such as a history of extreme athletic activity or substance abuse, chiropractic may set the stage for a successful pregnancy for women like Tracy.

Dr. Huntoon's view:

I have had similar success with this tough issue.  For a woman, this can be very difficult to deal with.  Traveling every week to get hormone injections while paying for the treatment out of pocket (insurance sees this as elective care and therefore does not cover it), it is quite the emotional ride. 

What I have always done with my practice members is to get a sense of what their hormones are doing through a series of reflex points, or through more traditional saliva testing.  Most times asking the member to do a couple of simple at home reflex treatments, along with some whole food supplements by Standard Process, allows for their hormones to move back into balance.  Add a couple of adjustments, and usually within one cycle, the woman reports she is pregnant.  Is this an absolute?  No, and I have a great success rate at woman who follow my instructions usually find themselves getting pregnant. 

Interested in a consultation to discuss your natural options?  Call Jean and ask her to put you in for a "We's like to have a Baby" evaluation.  It's completely painless, and will help you become aware of what in your body is out of balance and need of some proper care.  And if you know of someone who is finding it difficult to conceive, forward them this e-nesletter and ask them to call me.  Our phone number is (845)561-BACK (2225). 

Dr. Huntoon has a single mission:

To support as many people as possible in their quest for health and enable them to improve and maintain their health to the highest level possible, while educating them about the benefits of Chiropractic, Natural Healthcare and Holistic Living, so they in turn can teach others to support us having a healthy community.

Your Choice

• Continue doing the same thing and nothing changes or it may get worse

OR

• Try something different and get a different result that makes you happier and healthier.