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Chiropractic and Infertility

Many couples deal with the emotional torment of infertility. The number of women who have an impaired ability to get pregnant, seems to increase every year. According to the CDC, there are over 7 million women aged 15-44 with the inability to get pregnant. Forbes reports the national average for IVF, (in vitro fertilization) is around $15,000. Many people are also seeking safe options outside of conventional medicine, not just due to the cost, but for the desire of a less chemical approach. One of the reasons for this, is that the medications prescribed can have detrimental long term side effects, including hormonal imbalances. The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study, sponsored by the US National Institutes of Health reported in several publications (Anderson et al., 2003; Shumaker et al., 2003; Rapp et al., 2003;Wassertheilsmoller et al., 2003) found that for the 16,608 women in the study who took a combination of estrogen and progesterone, the risk of breast cancer increased by 26%, heart attack by 24% and stroke by 41%.

Chiropractic care is often sought out for various health problems as a natural alternative. Since the spine houses the nervous system, which controls and coordinates all function, its is imperative to have proper spinal alignment. The lumbar spine nerve roots actually innervate the reproductive organs. In a case report in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, ‘Healthy Pregnancy In a Previously Infertile Patient’- Dr Shelley states, “Spinal movement contributes to the proper flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Restrictions of spinal movement alter the flow of CSF and may impact the hypothalamus and/or pituitary gland. These glands are responsible for reproducing hormones such as follicle-stimulating hormone and lutenizing hormone which are vital to reproductive function.”

Although there are many variables for infertility, from toxins, to stress and many that are still unknown, Chiropractic can be a safe treatment consideration to help increase neurological function. Chiropractic care is not a direct cure for infertility, but there have been many case studies, where women with low back dysfunction report not just improvement after a course of care with their back, but incidentally report also being pregnant. Consider having a Chiropractic check up to see if you qualify for care. The worst thing that could happen is that you may have a healthier spine.