When I arrived in Australia, a few things surprised me. Of course, the incredible Australian weather was one of them but other elements grabbed my attention. Firstly, the number of ads on radio, magazines or in the streets about IVF clinics. Secondly, I was surprised to see so many couples rushing for a quick medical solution to their potential fertility problem. Of course, sometimes IVF clinics are a last resort necessity for couples. However, it’s important not to skip a step and focus on your wellbeing first and foremost. Natural therapies can provide a solution and help your body restore its intrinsic reproductive capacity. Osteopathy is a natural therapy that can unlock your fertility potential and build a good healthy balanced body, ready to face the emotional, stressful and physical challenges of conception.
Can Osteopathy help with fertility?
Osteopathy is a gentle manual therapy that works on the whole body. Osteopaths will look at your joints, muscles, fasciae, organs, blood and lymphatic vessels, nervous system, your emotions... All these different parts of your body are interconnected, and they impact each other. For example:
if an ovarian artery is entrapped in scar tissues, the ovary will not receive enough blood vessels to work optimally.
If your pelvis is misaligned, the uterus’ ligaments attached to the pelvis will create a rotation of the uterus.
A lot of research has been done to prove the benefits of Natural Therapy in boosting fertility. In the “Combined Manual Therapy Techniques for the Treatment of Women With infertility: A Case series” by Mary Ellen in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, the author demonstrates the positive impact generated by Manual therapy: “Many of the issues that contribute to infertility can be traced by scar tissues, fascial restriction, and lymphatic congestion in the pelvic region. Manual therapy techniques exist to release fascial restrictions, to mobilize tight ligaments, and drain congested lymphatics, all of which can be applied to the reproductive system. In this case series, 10 infertile women were treated with 1 to 6 sessions of manual therapy applied to the pelvic region. […] Six of the 10 women conceived within 3 months of the last treatment session and all 6 of those women delivered at full term.”
How can Osteopathy help with fertility?
Osteopathic consultations are tailored to the patient and his needs. The practitioner will ask questions and run some manual tests in order to put together a diagnostic. Each consultation is different from one patient to another as the dysfunctions will be different in locations, dating, intensity. That being said, there are 4 main components that your osteopath will be working with in to improve fertility:
1- Pelvis Alignment
Your pelvis is like a box, each wall is connected by joints allowing flexibility and strength. Inside this box we have all the sacred reproductive organs. If the walls of the box are damaged or if one the joint is locked, that will create pressure on the uterus and ovaries, which can impact your ability to conceive.
2- Blood, Lymphatic & Nervous systems
Let’s say the artery system is a little like your regular delivery service (Uber eat for me). Depending on the vehicle they use, the delivery men can carry more or less food. It’s the same for your body, if the delivery service is restricted in quantity of food they can carry each time, you will survive but might not get the optimal amount of nutrients.
Other key elements are the venous and lymphatic system, akin to the garbage collection system. You have to look after them if you don’t want them to go on strike. You really don’t want to accumulate waste in your organs as it would create congestion.
Finally, the nerves are going from the brain, down to your spine and go out to different muscles and organs. They are your electrical wiring. If the wires are entrapped, your organs won’t get the information they need and this will create tensions.
3- Fascia restriction
Fascia are connected tissue around all body structures. Nerves, blood vessels and lymphatics travel in fascia. If a fascia is tight, circulation slows down, leading to organs, muscles and bones that are poorly fed. This can cause pain but also inadequate functioning of the organs.
4- Cranial for hormonal balance
The two main glands producing the essential fertility hormones are located in the brain. By using cranio-sacral technics, your osteopath will optimise the hormonal functioning of your body.
5- Emotional imprint
It’s not commonly recognised but women often hold imprints of a traumatic experience inside their pelvic region. It can be a miscarriage, an abortion, sexual abuse, being teased about “not being womanly enough” for example. It’s very important to be able to release the emotional imprint in order to release physiological blockages. During the manual therapy session these emotions might resurface as physical tensions linked to it are going away.
Osteopathy is a gentle and global approach to the different systems of the human body. It will enhance your body’s natural capacity for reproduction. If you combine it with other natural therapies such as acupuncture, nutrition, life coaching … then you can truly unleash your fertility potential! Using these therapies together can be a great opportunity to practice self-care so you can be fit and ready to embrace your pregnancy as healthy as can be.
REFERENCES
Author: Cecile Parain, Osteopath and Owner of Bulb. After 2 years studying medicine in France, Cecile decided to change course for Osteopathy. She graduated in 2008 from COP Aix-Marseille (France) after 5 years of full-time training. Since graduating, she has worked in South of France and Reunion Island in her own clinic. In 2015, she moved to Sydney and settle definitively in the Eastern Suburbs where she took over Bulb Osteopathy. Find out more about her work HERE.