More than Just Back Pain, Chiropractic is being used to help with Infertility.

“Infertility is distinct from sterility, implying potential, and therefore raises questions as to what insult or interference influences this sluggish outcome.”

-Madeline Behrendt, D.C.

This statement is a mouthful, to say the least, but its application has been monumental for mothers who have been previously unable to conceive. 

Infertility is defined as being unable to produce children; while, sterility is the complete inability to produce children.  The “un” is huge here.  This means there is potential for conception, and there is something interfering with the pregnancy.  It also means that if you remove the interference, conception can occur.  The key is finding the interference and removing it.

There are 3 parts to the successful pregnancy triangle:  diet, exercise, and chiropractic.  The idea is to create an environment optimal for pregnancy.  With even just one side of this triangle missing, you will have less than an ideal environment to conceive.

To give you an idea of how uncommon a successful pregnancy is, The American College of Gynecologists (ACOG) estimates that somewhere between 10-25% of recognized pregnancies end in miscarriage.  Recognized is emphasized here because it is an even greater percentage if you include the unrecognized pregnancies that result in miscarriage.  This isn’t implying that pregnancy is difficult, only that it is exact.  The pregnancy will come to term if all the conditions are met.

Chiropractic’s role in this triangle is to remove nervous system interference, giving the chance for the body to perform at its optimum.  The nervous system controls every organ, tissue, and cell in your body.  Any interference with this communication could result in dis-ease, or imbalance.

This alteration in function can best be demonstrated with the “static on the telephone line” example.  Your brain and body are constantly sending messages back and forth along your nerves.  Imagine that you just ate some food.  Your brain then sends a message to your stomach that tells it to produce stomach acid for digestion.  If there is static on the communication line, your body might misinterpret the message and produce too much stomach acid causing ulcers, or not enough causing indigestion.   Chiropractors are trained to remove this interference in communication through specific adjusting.

Chiropractic case studies have shown fantastic results when it comes to infertility.  The best synopsis of peer-reviewed literature is by Dr. Madeline Behrendt in the May 2, 2003 issue of The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR).  Her review of 14 studies revealed females (aged 22-65) with previous histories of infertility, who were able to either conceive or regain fertility after chiropractic care alone.  This study doesn’t even include other positive effects of chiropractic seen during pregnancy.

The most important part in all of this research, the health of the mother, is often overlooked.  Dr. Behrendt says it best:  “Health and wellness prior to conception influences reproductive success and sustainability.”  Often times, women are unable to get pregnant or to remain pregnant because they simply are not healthy enough to do so.  And this is a good thing!  It is good because you want the best possible health for both you and your baby.  By removing any interference that is diet, exercise, and/or chiropractic based, you can increase your chances at having a healthy pregnancy and ultimately, a healthy baby.

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