August 2003

see also: Field doctors can help spread news of research

JVSR focuses on fertility

Already in the news because of its study of subluxation and Crohn's disease, the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR) has the media buzzing again after announcing that it will publish a series of case studies and commentaries focusing on the possible link between infertility and subluxations.

The papers document positive responses to chiropractic care among infertile women, regardless of factors including age, history and previous intervention. The first in the series, "Insult, Interference and Infertility: An Overview of Chiropractic Research," is a literature review of 14 retrospective articles exploring the possible affect of spinal problems on fertility.

All of the women in these studies were found to have vertebral subluxations and all of the women became pregnant after their subluxations were detected and corrected, according to Madeline Behrendt, D.C., a member of the WCA International Board of Governors and chair of the WCA Council on Women's Health.

Upcoming JVSR research articles will report on how physical, mental, chemical and emotional stress can act, over time, as undetected insults to spinal health and contribute to vertebral subluxations. The stress histories of these infertile women included ‑‑ but were not limited to ‑‑ previous motor vehicle accidents, childhood falls, blocked fallopian tubes, scoliosis, and work stress that affected both mind and body.

Among the cases cited in the first JVSR study was that of a 32‑year‑old infertile woman who had not menstruated for 12 years. The woman had undergone a number of medical infertility treatments, but still could not conceive. After two months of chiropractic care, with attention on adjustments in the lumbar region, her menses started and after regular cycles for four months, she became pregnant.

In explaining how chiropractic adjustments could affect fertility, Dr. Behrendt, who also serves as associate editor of JVSR noted, "Essential to all processes of life is the nervous system, which perceives the environment and coordinates the cellular community's biological response to the impinging environmental stimuli. It is reasonable to consider that a system that is properly functioning to its potential, may resist destructive forces more successfully and with less damage."

Infertility is commonly described as the failure to achieve conception by couples who have not used contraception for at least one year. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that, in the U.S., about six million women and their partners are affected. Medical studies have suggested that approximately 55% of the contributing factors involve the female. However, no cause has been determined for the infertility in about 500,000 couples, the paper pointed out.

"There is such a strong need for this research," Behrendt stated. "I asked 50 women in my community if they knew where in the spine the nerves to the reproductive organs are located. None of them had ever been told this basic information, but they all wanted to find out, as they knew it had implications for their health. I urge all those struggling with the burdens of infertility to read this research."

A press release was distributed through an electronic wire service and Behrendt immediately received several inquiries from reporters following up on the story.