Many women feel as if they have tried everything: monitoring cycles through body temperature, over-the-counter fertility predictors, fertility-enhancing drugs and in vitro fertilization. After many attempts at becoming pregnant, it makes sense that the frustration can become more than a difficult issue physically, but also emotionally.
Thousands of women each year are now seeking the help of egg donor agencies such as Beverly Hills Egg Donation. When fertility treatments are unsuccessful, many women are told “no” [about having children] because of their age. But with the use of an egg donor and the added help of chiropractic, there may still be plenty of reason for hope. At least one study showed that, after receiving chiropractic care, previously infertile women were much more likely to become pregnant (Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, 2003). And while reasons behind chiropractic’s success in treating women who have difficulty becoming pregnant aren’t certain, there are a number of possibilities why it may work.
Chiropractors believe proper alignment works in several ways to increase the likelihood of becoming and staying pregnant. Chiefly, improper alignment of the cranial, spinal, and pelvic bones can hinder the nervous system, which controls a woman’s reproductive system, causing imbalances and hampering her ability to get and stay pregnant.
Many of the patients Dr. Matthew Gloin, D.C. sees for infertility have tried everything. They come to chiropractic to help prepare the body’s nervous system for the upcoming egg donor cycle. Dr. Gloin first talks to them about their menstrual health history, noting signs of imbalance, which have often been problematic since the onset of menstruation, including heavy cramping, mood swings, and missing periods. ”We balance the body [through chiropractic],” says Dr. Gloin. Patients receive a combination of chiropractic adjustments, three times a week to start. After adjustments start to hold, patients visit once or twice a week.
How long should chiropractic take to work? Not long, says Dr. Gloin. ”We give it three months. Often women will become pregnant following egg donation not only because of their fertility experts, but because their nervous systems are functioning at full capacity through chiropractic.” Unless there have been serious compromises to reproductive health, he says, such as a history of extreme athletic activity or substance abuse, chiropractic may set the stage for a successful pregnancy.
