Infertility — What most fertility specialists do not know

In about one-third of infertile couples, no specific cause for the inability to conceive is found.

by Dr. Adrienne Frazer — 

In about one-third of infertile couples, no specific cause for the inability to conceive is found. Also, even after the evaluation process, which in some cases involves uncomfortable procedures, you may not be reimbursed by many medical plans. So, before spending tens of thousands of dollars on each step in your quest to conceive, know that there is a simple test you can take. Most fertility specialists are not aware of this test because it is not taught in their training.

What is infertility?

Infertility means being unable to get pregnant after one year of unprotected intercourse. Women who can conceive but are unable to carry the pregnancy to term may also be considered infertile.

If you have any of the following symptoms, a simple test may be very beneficial to you.

• You are age 34 or older and have been trying to conceive for six months or longer.
• You menstruate irregularly or not at all.
• Your periods are very painful.
• You have been diagnosed with endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
• You have had more than one miscarriage.

Your quest to have a child

So you have been trying to get pregnant. Month after month, instead of seeing that e.p.t.® test strip show you a positive result, you get your period (unless you are one of those with irregular or absent periods).

You are working hard on it — you have improved your diet and exercise regimen. Maybe you have cut down on how many hours you work per week, or better yet, do not have to work at all. You may have started to do yoga and even meditate daily. And you have said your prayers. Your partner has been checked and everything about his sperm is fine. You have been checked out as well, and there seems to be no medical reason preventing conception. By now you are wondering, what is wrong with me?

A simple test may uncover the hidden cause of infertility, but first, let us explore an interesting case history that changed the life of one woman, as well as my life and practice. Amy, a 35-year-old nurse, had a back problem that pinched the nerves to her reproductive organs. The odd thing about it was that she experienced no back pain. She had never had a spinal checkup. After meeting me socially, she became curious about what a chiropractor did, so she made an appointment to have her spine checked.

Again, Amy had experienced no back pain. Her only medical complaint was that she never had a period. She did not expect that chiropractic care could help with that, especially after 20 years. She told me that her father, a medical doctor, had sent her for $8,000 worth of diagnostic tests during her mid to late teens — well after her period should have started — and all they came up with was the diagnosis “amenorrhea,” which means you do not have a period.

Delving into her past, I did a thorough case history of any accidents, falls and injuries Amy may have experienced in her lifetime. She told me that she fell out of a tree at age 10. Although nothing was broken, it was a significant fall. At this point, I thought that the fall could have been enough to jar her skeleton. More specifically, the vertebrae in her lower back could have become misaligned. It is very common to have misaligned vertebrae without pain.

X-rays proved that she had misaligned vertebrae in the lower part of her back. I felt that the misalignments seen on the films were connected to the fall she experienced as a child. It just so happens that the nerves which connect to those vertebrae supply the ovaries and uterus. With the nerve supply pinched, her reproductive organs were not receiving vital messages from her brain and, therefore, could not function at 100 percent.

When I showed Amy the X-rays of her back, I pointed out the areas of misalignment and explained how, neurologically, they connect to her ovaries and uterus. I told Amy that when I start to adjust her spine, a reconnection may occur and that she might get some function back in her ovaries.

About a week after her treatment began, she came in and said, “It hurts here and here,” pointing to her lower abdomen — the two points corresponding to her ovaries. “Wow,” I said, “you are getting reconnected.” I told her that she was pointing to her ovaries and that I thought the nerves were coming back to life. I suggested she go to the store and buy some feminine products — just in case her period started. That is exactly what happened. She started her first period.

The small percentage of the public who go to a chiropractor do so only when they develop some sort of back or neck pain. Most people do not know that only 10 percent of the nerves in their bodies have the ability to send a pain signal. Lack of pain does not mean everything is in working order.

So in essence, if you have been attempting to become pregnant and thus far have not been successful, I recommend a spinal checkup by a chiropractor. This is the test I have been alluding to. A chiropractor is not only specifically trained to detect spinal misalignments but also to correct them.

The medical profession has no such training, which is why they do not know to suggest or offer it. Maybe now you will remember the small fender bender you had five or 10 years ago, or some other event that could have caused spinal misalignment. Maybe your nerves are pinched (but not hurting) and this is why you cannot get pregnant.

I urge you to follow through and have your spine checked for misalignments that may be diminishing the nerve supply to your reproductive organs and possibly reducing your chances of getting pregnant. Getting this corrected may improve your chances of conceiving.

Adrienne Frazer is a chiropractic physician in Scottsdale, Ariz. 480-661-1919.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 30, Number 5, Oct/Nov 2011.