Infertility

Infertility is on the rise.  There can be a number of reasons why a couple cannot conceive.  Modern technology has given doctors the ability to enhance and augment many parts of the conception process, but the price tag is high.  I am going to provide an osteopathic perspective on some things that can be done BEFORE other procedures to make both of the couples bodies function better.  It may allow you to conceive naturally, or to get better results out of fertility treatment.

Hormones are one of the first things I check in patients with the complaint of infertility.  The sex hormones should be in balance if you want to conceive easily.  There are many things that can throw them off. Stress (generic or specific) can make conception impossible.  We are not designed to make children when running away from a saber toothed cat or during times of no food.  You body sees all stress as the same, so a few rough months at the office are the same to your body as a drought or bad harvest.  Blood and saliva tests cane be done to access hormone levels and also to adjust medications, if necessary, to maintain optimal levels.  Bioidenticals are the best method to restore the balance.

Once your hormones are correct (which many doctors can do), osteopathic visceral manipulation can take you the rest of the way in most cases.  All of the sex organs (both male and female) are part of the viscera (meaning that they are not part of the bony skeleton, but part of the organs).  We believe that all organs have a subtle motion, and, if this motion is not working properly, then what we term dysfunction is the result.  Dysfunction is just altered motion.

Let’s put this altered motion into context with the female system (although the male system has different parts, the concept is the same) :

If the ovaries are not moving well, they have altered hormone output, they can develop eggs that mature, but don’t detach properly (ovarian cysts), and, they can make having a baby challenging, if not impossible.  In some ways they completely rule the show.

After the egg leaves the ovary, it travels down the fallopian tubes to the uterus for implantation.  In the Fallopian tubes, there are little hairs called fimbria. They act like an escalator to carry the egg to the uterus (for implantation).  If the fimbria don’t move well, either by being slow, or by being stuck altogether, then fertilization can occur, but implantation cannot.  The fertilized egg does not complete its journey.

In the uterus, there is a rocking motion (it is a midline organ, and all midline organs rock back and forth).  If it is inhibited in its motion, then implantation can be difficult, and, placental problems, including miscarriage can occur.

Osteopathic treatment by someone who is trained in visceral manipulation can alleviate these and many more symptoms that can help pregnancy to occur. When I learned how to perform these treatments I treated three female friends who all thought they could not get pregnant (as in they had been having unprotected sex with their partners for years with no children).  All three were pregnant one month after treatment (and I now warn my female patients who receive this treatment to be extra careful if they don’t want a child).  It can be a powerful aid toward pregnancy.

There is much more that could be written about this subject.  Osteopathic manipulation does not cure every problem, but it may help yours.  If you have any questions about your specific circumstances, please call the office and schedule an appointment.  I would be happy to work with you and your partner to help you conceive.