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Making Adjustments

Infertility and the Chiropractic Link

By Kelly Burgess

Furthermore, Dr. Painter says, in theory, if this peristaltic motion is so disturbed that it backs up and delivers uterine tissue into the abdominal cavity or onto the ovaries, it can result in endometriosis. He knows of at least five studies where women who were close to being surgical candidates because of endometriosis ultimately found relief in chiropractic care.

Dr. Behrendt says that this should almost be intuitive knowledge, simply because of the relationship to the placement of the spine and the placement of the reproductive organs.

"When people come to chiropractors and list their concerns or health histories, we give them fair warning that people under chiropractic care have seen changes in fertility," Dr. Behrendt says. "The nerves to the reproductive system run through the spine, and if there's a distortion, it can affect fertility."

Although the study is small, its subjects come from a wide range of socioeconomic and religious backgrounds. There is also a significant age range, from 22 to 65. The 65-year-old did not get pregnant, but after a lifetime with no menstrual periods, she began menstruating four weeks after beginning chiropractic adjustments.

"The design of the study was very important to me," Dr. Behrendt says. "I wanted all different ages, circumstances and techniques, so I invited many people to participate. The result was that it wasn't one specific type of woman, doctor, age group, technique or symptom. Some women had never had a menstrual cycle, one had colitis and another blocked fallopian tubes. The only commonality was changes in neurological function."

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