Case studies about chiropractic adjustment and infertility:
1. FROM: Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research 2003: Dec
2: 1-7 Leslie Bedell, D.C.
Objective: This case describes the chiropractic care of a woman with a history of infertility and miscarriage.
Clinical Features: A 27 year old female presented for chiropactic care to improve her overall health, in the hope that she may ultimately be able to have a child. In the previous year she had suffered 2 miscarriages, and had been anovulatory for 9 months. She was under medical treatment for infertility and ulcerative colitis, and followed a restrictive diet. Prior to attempting to become pregnant, she had been on the birth control pill for 7 years.
Chiropractic Care and Outcome: Examination protocols of Torque Release Technique™ (TRT) were utilized to detect vertebral subluxations. Adjustments were applied with the Integrator instrument; the initial visit schedule was twice weekly for 30 days, and then one visit per week for an additional 30 days.
Other therapies used included: craniosacral therapy, relaxation exercises, stretching and audio tapes. After 60 days of care, a normal ovulatory cycle occurred, and she became pregnant after her second normal cycle.
Conclusion: This case report of a woman with a history of infertility and miscarriage contributes to the growing body of literature on the response to chiropractic care among infertile women. The article discusses the impact of stress on a woman’s nervous system, and the possible associated changes in reproductive health. Further research is called for to evaluate the safety, cost, and effectiveness of chiropractic care in women’s health.
2. FROM: Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research 2003: Nov 9: 1-3 Daniel D. Lyons, DC, LCP Objective: This article describes the chiropractic care of a 27 year old athletic female with a 5 year history of infertility.
Clinical Features: Following a marathon, the subject experienced an unresolved injury and sought out chiropractic care. The initial chiropractic evaluation revealed a history of numerous alterations in physiological function, including low back pain, constipation, neck pain, headaches, loss of balance, tension, as well as 5 years of infertility which medical treatments had been unsuccessful for.
Chiropractic Care and Outcome: Evidence of vertebral subluxation, including dysautonomia and dysponesis, were detected at multiple levels, and chiropractic care was applied using the Gonstead System. The details of 1 month of care are described.
Conclusion: One month after the application of chiropractic care, marked reduction in dysautonomia and dysponesis is demonstrated, and while previously infertile for 5 years this woman conceived and sustained a successful pregnancy. Further research is suggested examining the application of chiropractic care and associated restoration of function, including reproductive function.
3. CASE STUDIES As evidenced in a review of ten case studies (6), chiropractic care seems to offer a safer, more cost effective alternative. In nine of the cases examined in the referenced paper, chiropractic adjustments allowed the woman to conceive with no further allopathic treatments.
Clinical features; This review includes case studies of eleven female patients, ranging in age from 22 to 42, with a mean age of 32. Their pregnancy histories included: one natural childbirth, two miscarriages, two failed in vitro fertilizations, and three failed artificial inseminations. After receiving chiropractic care, there were 11 successful pregnancies. Chief complaints that these women presented to the chiropractic office with included: low back pain (one), infertility (eight), dysmenorrheal (two), ulcerative colitis (two), ankle pain (one) and neck pain (one). The women became pregnant within a period of one to 20months after receiving chiropractic care. Conclusion: chiropractic care may facilitate changes that result in improved function and physiology of the reproductive system and result in successful pregnancies and birth. By restoring function through the removal of nervous system interferences, chiropractors could offer a low cost and effective alternative to expensive fertility treatments. Allowing the nervous system to effectively integrate the chemical, physical and emotional information between the brain and reproductive system will improve the chance of conception. These case studies show the positive outcomes as a result of chiropractic care provided to patients experiencing infertility. The ten case studies examined in the previously mentioned paper suggest that regardless of the type of chiropractic technique used, when subluxations of the vertebral column were adjusted, there was simultaneous improvement in the function of the reproductive organs and the function of the endocrine system. These case studies demonstrate a need for more research to study the effect that chiropractic care can have on a couple struggling with infertility issues. More and more research is being undertaken all the time and provides encouraging results for families across the globe.