Healthy Pregnancy In A Previously Infertile Patient Following D.N.F.T. Chiropractic Care: A Case Report
Jessica Shelley , D.C.
Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research ~ December 8, 2003 ~ Pages 1-7
Abstract
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Objective: This case study describes the chiropractic care and progress of a female patient with a history of infertility; examining the relationship between D.N.F.T. specific care and the patient’s clinical improvement and ultimate success in becoming pregnant.
Clinical Features: A 32-year-old female with a history of infertility sought chiropractic care in November of 2001. She had attempted to become pregnant since August 1999, with no success. She had received conventional medical treatment, including detailed fertility testing, artificial insemination, and treatment with the fertility drug Clomid. On October 17, 2001, the patient underwent in vitro fertilization, which failed. She sought chiropractic care three weeks later and an intitial evaluation was performed on November 3, 2001. The case history revealed additional complaints, including endometriosis, low back pain, and frequent headaches. Surface EMG showed significant muscle asymmetry, with a marked elevation of muscle tension on the left side in the area of L3. Chiropractic Assessment, Intervention and Outcomes: D.N.F.T. chiropractic analysis and correction were performed over the next six weeks and during this time, the patient’s secondary complaints of low back pain and headaches improved dramatically. A re-examination was performed on December 28, 2001. Surface EMG showed a substantial improvement in muscle symmetry, as well as a reduction in the muscle tension previously noted at L3. The patient’s fertility specialists noted that her estrogen levels, endometrial thickness, and cervical mucus levels were all at more favorable levels than at the time of the first in vitro attempt. A second attempt at in vitro fertilization was made on February 17, 2002, and the patient had a positive pregnancy test on March 2, 2002. She remained under chiropractic care and was in her 34th week of pregnancy at the time of this writing.
Conclusion: The human body is designed to be healthy and to reproduce. Impairment of this ability indicates dysfunction on a fundamental level. Subluxations of the spine and the associated nervous system dysfunction can hinder proper function of body systems. This study serves to document the application of chiropractic care and the subsequent response, including restoration of proper reproductive function, in a 32 year old woman previously diagnosed as infertile.
Key words: chiropractic, infertility, D.N.F.T., subluxation, pregnancy, EMG
