In a recent study, “Use of nonmedical treatments by infertility patients” in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, the majority (62%) of study participants indicated using some type of alternative therapy to complement their medical treatments. The researchers, physicians from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, developed the study “to discover the extent to which infertility patients use alternatives to traditional medical treatment and to identify factors that may promote patients to use them.” Abstract available at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19691256?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=4

The CDC recommends pregnant women suspected with H1N1 obtain treatment within 48hrs of the onset of symptoms. Symptoms manifest as an “acute respiratory influenza-like illness (e.g., cough, sore throat, rhinorrhea) and fever.” http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/clinician_pregnant.htm

Pregnant women are at high-risk for life-threatening infections including pneumonia as well as pregnancy complications. The CDC advises that while testing for H1N1 in pregnant women with symptoms is ideal, if testing and test results are not available within the first 2 days of onset of symptoms, the mother and child may be at risk if treatment is not provided due to the potential rapid progression of the illness as seen in other cases. 

The bottom line says the CDC, “The highest priority message is to treat pregnant women with influenza-like illness as soon as possible; treatment should not be withheld pending results of testing for influenza, if testing is done.”

For the full advisory from the CDC, Pregnant Women and Novel Influenza A (H1N1)
Virus: Considerations for Clinicians visit http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/clinician_pregnant.htm

Check out a recent short video clip The Clear Passage Natural Fertility Method on our You Tube channel.

By Jackie

When you go to see a general practitioner with a set of health complaints, he or she will certainly want to hear your list of symptoms. But when it comes time to specifically determine the cause or choose a treatment option, some doctors feel their patients will be better served by a specialist.

While specialists can certainly be helpful, the “referral routine” quickly becomes tiresome when you are passed from specialist to specialist with unexplained pain or dysfunction. Specialists can thoroughly examine the problem from their perspective and provide answers, but sometimes, they cannot catch connections between different bodily systems or distant structures. It is certainly not their fault; specialists are experts in one area and are trained to examine, diagnose, and treat this area day-in and day-out.

A classic example is unexplained infertility. If you are a female and experience problems conceiving, your general practitioner will recommend you speak with a gynecologist. When your gynecologist cannot find a problem, he or she will likely refer you to a reproductive endocrinologist (RE). The RE will do a thorough work-up. If the RE cannot find a cause for your infertility, she may recommend various medications or procedures such as IVF.

While this approach certainly works for many women, the RE may miss vital mechanical components between different structures due to their specialist viewpoint. For example, if adhesions cause the pituitary gland to be constricted, they may impair hormonal function and prevent fertility. Our therapists have also treated some women who were in severe car crashes and subsequently experienced unexplained infertility. Although these women didn’t correlate the car accident with their infertility, their therapists noticed severe adhesions that likely formed after the car accident and impaired their fertility (see Could Your Unexplained Infertility Be Due to an Accident or Surgery in Childhood?)

Unfortunately, specialists sometimes miss these connections. At Clear Passage Therapies, we believe a holistic viewpoint is the best way for us to address the causes of unexplained conditions like female infertility, chronic pain, and sexual dysfunction. Regardless of what condition brings you to CPT for treatment, our therapists thoroughly examine the entire body for restrictions, imbalances, and adhesions. They then work to resolve anything abnormal they find. It is this approach that has led CPT to help over 250 women conceive and led hundreds of others out of chronic pain and dysfunction.
To learn more about our treatment philosophy, please visit our treatment philosophy page or read Playing An Active Role In Your Health Care Team. To read more about our treatment for unexplained conditions, you can also see Providing Hope for Women with Unexplained Infertility or our chronic pain page.

By Jackie

The majority of women have heard that the average length of a menstrual cycle is 28 days. But what if your menstrual cycle is longer or shorter than the average? Most women don’t care if their cycle is a few days off. However, if a woman is trying to conceive, knowing what is “normal” and what isn’t can make a big difference in conception efforts.

A study recently published in Fertility and Sterility examined the menstrual cycles of 167 women. In total, the researchers followed 459 nongestational (not pregnant) and 111 gestational menstrual cycles (pregnant). They found these interesting facts:

• Menstrual cycles were 27.7 days, plus or minus 2.4 days, in length. This means that for some women, their period came as early as 25.3 days and as late as 30.1 days.
• LH peaked at 14.7 days, plus or minus 2.4 days. This means that the presumed ovulatory window began as early as day 12.3 and as late as day 17.1.
• For women who became pregnant, implantation occurred (measured by first day of sensitive detection of hCG) on day 24.6, plus or minus 3.1 days.

The researchers reported that their findings were normal for menstrual cycle length, but that that there data on implantation was different from previously published data. If you are currently trying to become pregnant and your menstrual cycle falls outside of these parameters, you should speak with a gynecologist. Furthermore, if you have been trying for over a year with no success, you should also speak with a gynecologist who can complete a thorough blood work-up.

Curious to learn more about the menstrual cycle and fertility? Read Menstrual Cycle Length and Fertility, which discusses a study that found menstrual cycle length may correlate with fertility.

By Jackie

When our blog first started in fall of 2009, I wrote a post entitled 8 Steps to Decide if Our Treatment is Right for You. While looking back over that post recently, I realized there was much more helpful information I could provide. There was so much, in fact, that I expanded it to 16 steps and packed this post full with relevant articles and links.

Whether you are trying to conceive or to find your way out of pain, I know it is difficult to choose a treatment option. The amount of choices can be overwhelming and it’s hard to know if a treatment is viable or if it will work for you. The 16 steps below are designed to help you learn more about us, our treatment, and decide if our treatment is right for you:

1. Understand the foundation of our treatment: Adhesions. Adhesions are collagenous cross-links that form whenever you heal; they are what make up scar tissue. To learn more about how adhesions form and impair fertility, read our adhesions and fertility page or our blog post on How Adhesions Form and Impair Fertility in Women.
2. Review your medical and personal history to see if you have experienced events that cause adhesion formation. Have you had an infection, inflammation, surgery, fall, car accident, or other event that causes adhesion formation? You can learn more about adhesions in your body by reading How do You Recognize Adhesions in Your Body? But don’t just take it from us! Check-out this article by Conceive that helps you determine if your body might have scar tissue that prevents you from getting pregnant.
3. Explore how we address specific infertility conditions. If you are experiencing a particular type of infertility, you can read our pages specifically devoted to blocked fallopian tubes, advanced age, unexplained infertility, secondary infertility, and more. Unsure about what category you fall into? Try starting with our page that broadly discusses our treatment for female infertility.
4. Learn how we started. How a treatment is created often says a great deal about the intent of its practitioners and the treatment itself. Learn about how Clear Passage started here.
5. Discover our Treatment Philosophy. Our treatment philosophy varies greatly from what you may have experienced in the past. We believe in the importance of patient participation and intuition. To see if your expectations of health care align with our treatment philosophy, click here.
6. Watch our video. If you are more of a visual learner, then our video is perfect for you. With visual explanations, patient interviews, and staff commentary, our video will help you learn more about us and our treatment.
7. Read our patient testimonials. We have numerous stories and quotes from women who have struggled with many different types of infertility on our patient testimonial page. You can also search our blog for stories by women with different conditions. Some of our personal favorites include “Naturalist” Finds Success after Hormonal Infertility and Patient Highlight: Overcoming Infertility due to Endometriosis.
8. Review our medical studies. See our medical studies page to read seven medical studies and abstracts that evaluate the success of our work. If you are wondering, “How many patients does this treatment actually help?” then our medical studies are a great place to find that answer!
9. Enjoy a chapter of our new book. Our new book, Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain, contains over 19 chapters and 700 pages of educational material. Each chapter contains a thorough explanation of our therapy, patient stories, and informative images. You can read the table of contents and then email us and request a copy of an upcoming chapter.
10. Discover our newsletters. Every quarter we release a newsletter filled with patient stories, explanations of our treatment, relevant articles, free e-chapters from our book, and much more. You can view our previous newsletters here and sign up to receive upcoming issues.
11. Request more information. Is there more you would like to learn about? Email us and we will gladly mail you a guide to services and other helpful information.
12. Ask our Experts. Have a specific question you would like answered by Belinda and Larry Wurn, the founders of CPT? Visit our Ask the Experts page and post your question.
13. Give us a call! Want to know more about our treatment or statistics in an actual conversation? Call our staff at 352-336-1433. Our administrative staff can give you basic information about our treatment. If you want to understand how our treatment can specifically help you, move on to the next step.
14. Speak with one of our physical therapists for free. After filling out a medical questionnaire online, you can schedule a free consultation with one of our therapists. Our therapists will discuss your condition with you and determine if treatment is appropriate. Why do we make you fill out a medical questionnaire first? We take a holistic approach to your health and believe that past events in distant areas of the body can have a lasting impact today. Furthermore, you may think that we accept everyone for treatment, but at Clear Passage Therapies our main concern is your health and certain conditions may make you inappropriate for treatment. To get started on your medical questionnaire, click here.
15. Speak with a previous Clear Passage patient. After you send us your medical questionnaire, we can match you with a previous patient with a similar medical history. You can then email or call her with any questions.
16. Take personal time for self-reflection and meditation. Choosing a medical treatment option is an important decision. We strongly believe in intuition and feel that you should listen to how your gut is guiding you . . . even if that means not coming to us. We want you to choose the best option for YOU.

Have ideas for other steps that would help you decide if treatment is right for you? Please feel free to leave a comment below.

By Jackie

Some conventional infertility treatment options do not align with the rules of the Catholic Church. In vitro fertilization (IVF), a procedure in which a woman’s egg is united with a man’s sperm outside of the body, is one such treatment option.

One of our former Catholic patients, Jennifer, struggled with infertility for seven years. Her doctor insisted that IVF was her best option to conceive, but Jennifer told us, “As a practicing Catholic, I knew this was not a good choice for me.” She spoke with several Catholic priests who emphasized the importance of obeying the church’s rules on sanctity of life.

Determined to follow God’s guidance, Jennifer searched for other female infertility treatment options. Her sister-in-law, a medical director of a hospital, read an article about Clear passage Therapies (CPT) and suggested that Jennifer try the treatment for female infertility.

After examining the literature, Jennifer decided to give it a try. Three months later she took a pregnancy test. “It was positive!” She said. “I never cried so hard in my life!” After seven years of infertility, Jennifer gave birth to a baby girl. She is now expecting her second child.

Any infertile woman who feels she is out of treatment options deserves to know that the Wurn Technique ® an option. CPT firmly believes a woman has the right to pursue (or not pursue) any treatment option. To learn more about treatment at CPT, read What is the Wurn Technique? You may also find this post helpful: 8 Steps to Decide if Our Treatment is Right for You

Many women with endometriosis are able to become pregnant through conventional treatment methods such as laparoscopic surgery, IUI, and IVF. Other women who do not have success with conventional treatment methods or who are uncomfortable with these options turn to alternative therapies and become pregnant.

But what if you have tried both and have still not experienced success? It may be time to try using conventional and alternative methods in conjunction with each other. Although conventional medicine and alternative therapies often present themselves as mutually exclusive, the combination of the two types of medicine can bring great success.

Endometriosis (the purple cells) and their adhesive attachments (white bands) can lead to infertility

At Clear Passage Therapies (CPT), we strive to prepare the entire body for a pregnancy by addressing mechanical components that may block fallopian tubes, restrict the uterus, and impair hormonal infertility. Our treatment has helped numerous women become pregnant naturally, in addition to preparing over 75 women for successful IVF transfers.

Our treatment for endometriosis works by focusing on the adhesions that form at and around endometrial implants. Adhesions can impair fertility by constricting, blanketing, and pulling on the sensitive female reproductive structures. Adhesions can also pull on the ligaments of the uterus, causing uterine spasm. If a woman undergoes an IVF procedure, the embryo may not successfully implant because of adhesions or the resulting uterine spasm. Similarly, a woman who undergoes laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis may still be unable to conceive afterward because of adhesions present within the reproductive tracts or its ligaments. Because the female reproductive structures can be so delicate, it can be very difficult for a surgeon to remove adhesions from them without compromising the function of those organs.

CPT physical therapists use manual physical therapy techniques to gently break apart the adhesions in and around the reproductive system. The techniques have been shown to help women become pregnant or later have a successful IVF transfer.

One such woman was Samantha, a woman who came to our clinic after several unsuccessful IUIs and two unsuccessful IVF transfers. When Samantha came to CPT, she didn’t know the cause of her infertility. Her therapist examined her and felt that she had the characteristic scarring, tightness, and restriction of a woman with endometriosis. The therapist worked to restore proper mobility and reduce adhesions in her pelvis.

After treatment, Samantha spoke with her doctor and decided to undergo diagnostic surgery for endometriosis. As it turned out, her physical therapist was correct: Samantha was diagnosed with endometriosis. After the procedure, Samantha underwent a fresh IVF transfer and became pregnant right away with twins. Two years after her twins birth, Samantha and her husband tried another round of IVF. They were disappointed when it didn’t work, but were then caught by surprise when Samantha learned she was pregnant naturally.

Samantha reported that she couldn’t attribute the success of her IVF transfer or pregnancy to just one treatment form. For her, it was the combination of conventional medicine and alternative therapies that helped. She told us, “It’s hard to say which treatment ‘worked’ for me. I think a large part of my success was learning to relax. My treatment at Clear Passage enabled me to become more familiar with my body and calm down. I know their treatment helped to restore balance in my body and mind, preparing me for my transfers and natural birth.”

Samantha’s full story, told in her own words, will be featured in our upcoming book Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain. Miracle Moms contains over 17 chapters and discusses how manual physical therapy can be used exclusively or in combination with other conventional treatment options. Please visit our website to learn more about our treatment for endometriosis, female infertility, and IVF transfers.

“The mystery of unexplained infertility is truly no mystery. There is always a cause; discovering the cause is the challenge.” – Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain

The new book, Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain, seeks to demystify health conditions considered “unexplained” or “untreatable.” Authors Belinda and Larry Wurn devote an entire chapter of the book to unexplained infertility. They believe that when no known cause for infertility can be found, adhesions are the likely culprit.

Adhesions are composed of tiny strands of collagen. If the body is injured, collagen rushes to the area to help contain and repair the site. As the strands of collagen continue to build, they form adhesions. While helpful, these adhesions can also attach to neighboring structures, constrict organs and structures, and impair proper function in many ways.

Adhesions in the pelvic cavity

Adhesions can form after a variety of common life events – so common that many women would never consider them as a probable cause for their infertility. Common events include bladder infections, yeast infections, inflammation of any kind, car accidents, falls, surgery, etc. When these events occur in or near the reproductive tract, pelvis, or abdomen, adhesions can constrict the area and prevent proper function. The sensitive structures of the reproductive system can easily become restrained, pulled, or adhered – leading to infertility.

The Wurns and other Clear Passage Therapies (CPT) therapists treat unexplained infertility by addressing adhesions. When a woman attends CPT for treatment of unexplained infertility, the therapists design an individualized treatment plan based on the patient’s medical history and a thorough physical evaluation. During the evaluation, therapists examine the patient’s body for signs of adhesion formation, including areas of pain, tension, immobility, imbalance, and malfunction.

Once the therapists have identified areas of adhesion formation, they use manual physical therapy techniques (collectively known as the Wurn Technique ®) to detach, deform, and disfigure these adhesions. The Wurn Technique ® enables proper mobility and function to be restored, thus decreasing pain, increasing function, and improving fertility.

In Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain, over nine women with unexplained infertility share their journeys through infertility and how they eventually became pregnant with manual physical therapy. To learn more about manual physical therapy and fertility, please visit our female infertility or unexplained infertility pages.

Blog Post By: Jackie