Can Chiropractic Help Infertility?

There are many medical reasons why a couple may find it difficult or even impossible to conceive a child, and prolonged infertility can cause many serious emotional and physical difficulties. It is estimated that as many as one in six couples may struggle in conceiving children, though the good news is that nearly one in five of these couples will eventually become pregnant without any treatment at all.

One female condition which can cause infertility is called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal imbalance condition which can cause many health problems. A woman's body relies on a finely-tuned balance of hormones in order to regulate the reproductive system. But if her body is creating too much of one hormone, her organs will respond according to this increased amount of hormone and may not perform properly.

Women with PCOS will often find it difficult to conceive a child. But, using chiropractic care, one woman found a surprising method to regulate her hormones and encourage conception!

A dramatic case study was published in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health this month, in which a 29 year old woman with PCOS came to a chiropractic office after over six months of inability to conceive. The chiropractors treated the woman with chiropractic adjustments. After just a few short months, the woman found out that she had conceived soon after the chiropractic care had begun! The chiropractors continued to adjust the woman throughout her pregnancy, and she went on to deliver a healthy child.

The authors of the case study are careful to declare that this one case does not provide proof that chiropractic care can treat infertility, but they do encourage researchers to continue investigating the relationship between chiropractic, PCOS, and infertility issues. They do state that "this case study shows that chiropractic care is beneficial for improving quality of life and other health parameters by removing vertebral subluxations, possibly leading to fertility and ability to become pregnant."

It has long been known that chiropractic affects the nervous system. Indeed, restoring proper nerve function is the purpose of the chiropractic adjustment. It is also well known that the nervous system controls every other system in the body, including the hormonal system. Nerves help to detect the levels of hormones in the body and communicate to the tissues which create more or less of the hormones. It is possible that in this one case, the woman did not have a hormone problem, but a nerve problem that affected the hormone balance.

This case of fertility is a very exciting and encouraging case: you never know what chiropractic just might be able to help!