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.

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

If infertility comes between you and that dream, you may wonder how much you are willing to do or spend to achieve your dream during this hard economic time. Instead of worrying about affording infertility treatments, you may benefit from a change in perspective. Due to pay cuts and decreased job benefits, many Americans are changing their perspective on how their lifestyle. Many have realized that a natural, holistic, and frugal perspective not only benefits their bank accounts, but leads to a better, healthier, and happier life. Some Americans have made shifts by riding their bikes to work, while others prepare meals at home with their families instead of eating-out.

This shift in perspective can also be applied to your fertility. Instead of thinking of female infertility as a “broken reproductive system,” think of your fertility in a holistic matter. The body is an incredible, inter-connected organism. Your daily lifestyle choices such as the food you eat, the amount of exercise you get, and your level of stress greatly impact your general health – and therefore your fertility.

When making decisions about infertility treatments, try to approach your options from a holistic viewpoint. When your decisions and treatment choices are based on your overall health and what is best for your body, every cent you spend will be worth it. You can also greatly improve your fertility without spending a dime. By simply going outside for a daily walk or cutting down on the amount of calories you eat, you increase your chances of conception.

Author Bio: Jackie Schuld is an educational editor and writer at Clear Passage Therapies.

It’s no secret that infertility treatments and their associated appointments, tests, and follow-up meetings can carve a large chunk of time out of your weekly schedule. To make matters worse, appointments are normally scheduled during work hours. With today’s hard economic times, the last thing you want is your boss taking note of how often you need to slip out of the office. Because of the frequency of appointments, many employers expect an explanation when you have to leave the office so frequently.

For that reason, some women choose to disclose that they are undergoing infertility treatments. Women often find that the “open air” and honesty about the topic prevents them from feeling like they have to “sneak out” or make-up another excuse to leave.

But many other women feel that infertility is a private matter and do not want to discuss their personal medical information with their employers. Some women also do not like to disclose this information because of the unfair stereotypes associated with infertility. They fear they will be thought of as another hard-working woman who chose career over family and is finally paying for it.

A recent study published in Fertility and Sterility compared the stress levels of women who chose to disclose their infertility treatments to their employers to women who chose to keep their treatments private. The study found that there was no significant difference in stress for women chose to disclose or not disclose.

The study results affirm that the best choice depends on your unique situation. Ask yourself if you are carrying extra stress because you are not telling your employer why you need to leave. Is your employer concerned or noticing that you are leaving work frequently? Also consider how your employer might react to the information you disclose. You should also contemplate how private you want your health information to be.

In our upcoming book, Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain, we share over 75 stories of patients who came to Clear Passage Therapies (CPT) for help with chronic pain, female infertility, and female sexual dysfunction. An entire chapter in the book is devoted to endometriosis-related infertility. Over eight patient stories are included in this incredible chapter that explains how endometriosis and adhesions can cause infertility and what you can do about it.

One former patient featured in this chapter is Michaeleena, who struggled with infertility for four years. Michaeleena and her husband tried to become pregnant on their own for two years, but then decided to seek the help of a doctor. All the tests appeared normal for Michaeleena, so they started IUI treatments with Clomid®. After the fourth failed IUI cycle, she underwent diagnostic laparoscopic surgery and learned she had endometriosis. Her doctor told her that her left ovary and fallopian tube were covered by endometrial implants and her tube was completely blocked. To make matters worse, her right tube was barely open.

Michaeleena and her husband tried to get pregnant for a few months following surgery and then decided to try another IUI. When it didn’t work, Michaeleena felt distraught. Her doctors pushed her to have an IVF transfer because her FSH levels were high and she was “old” – age 38.

About this time, Michaeleena learned of CPT from a friend. After speaking with many massage therapists and physical therapists, she decided to attend an intensive week program. After treatment, Michaeleena was doubtful it would work, but told us, “I took Clomid just in case it did work.” To her surprise, she became pregnant the month after treatment. Her healthy son was born nine months later.

To learn more about our treatment, endometriosis and female infertility page. CPT also has years of experience treating endometriosis pain and discomfort. In our upcoming book, we also devote an entire chapter to endometriosis pain, its causes, and how physical therapy can help. To read current patient feedback about our therapy for endometriosis pain, please see our endometriosis patients speak page.

Maintaining a sexually satisfying relationship can be difficult for couples struggling with infertility.  Judith C. Daniluk, author of an article entitled, “Keeping Your Sex Life Alive While Coping with Infertility” explains that, “Infertility affects a person’s feelings about themselves – their masculinity or femininity, their self worth, their self esteem, their body.”

Many women experience a deterioration of sexual satisfaction during infertility treatments, often related to feelings of disappointment, guilt, or low self esteem. These feelings can decrease a woman’s sexual desire, arousal, ability to lubricate, and overall satisfaction.

A study published by Fertility and Sterility (October 2007) found that women experience greater levels of anxiety and sexual stress due to infertility than men. For some women, infertility treatments directly decrease desire and arousal because of altered hormonal levels.

Although these articles and studies show that decreased sexual satisfaction can be related to emotional and mental health, it is imperative that women know sexual dysfunction or painful intercourse is not always, “all in your head.”

At CPT, we often find that female infertility and sexual dysfunction are physically linked. Frequently, a woman will experience a common event such as a car accident, vaginal infection, STD, sexual abuse, or surgery that causes adhesions to form within the reproductive tract. These adhesions can lead to infertility by restricting or pulling the fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus, and vagina. Although some women may not initially experience any pain or sexual dysfunction at the time, the continued pulling and restriction can cause more adhesions to form, eventually resulting in painful intercourse and sexual dysfunction six to twelve months later. Because of the delayed onset, women often do not see the connection between their infertility and sexual dysfunction.

CPT therapists see sexual dysfunction as a clue to discover the cause of a woman’s infertility. We often ask patients, “When did your sexual dysfunction begin? How often does it occur? Are you experiencing trouble with arousal, desire, satisfaction, orgasm, pain, or lubrication? In what sexual positions does sex hurt? Where exactly does it hurt and what does it feel like?”

The answers to these questions shape our individualized treatment for each woman. Many women find that when we resolve the cause of their infertility, we also resolve the cause of their sexual dysfunction and pain.

To learn more about our treatment, please visit our sexual dysfunction page, painful intercourse page, or female infertility page.

Adhesions occur in response to injury, such as surgery, trauma, inflammation, or infection. When the injury occurs, collagen rushes to the area to contain the site. This “sticky” collagen can continue to thicken and form an adhesion. Because of its sticky nature, an adhesion can bind previously free and mobile structures together.

Adhesions can impair fertility in women in multiple ways. Adhesions located in the following areas have particularly detrimental affects:

• On internal and external uterine walls: These adhesions can cause irritation and inflammation in the uterus, leading to implantation problems or recurrent miscarriage. These adhesions are likely to form in woman who has had an IUD, D&C, abortion, or uterine surgery.
• In or around the fallopian tubes: These adhesions can constrict the fallopian tube, causing a blockage, hydrosalpinx, or ectopic pregnancy to occur. Women who have had fibroid surgery, pelvic inflammatory disease, or any sexually transmitted disease are particularly at risk
• On the surface of the ovaries: These adhesions can cover the ovary, preventing the release of an ovum or proper hormonal function. Women who have PCOS or have had a cyst removal have an increased risk
• Near the fimbrea: When adhesions form near the finger-like projections of the fallopian tube, they can prevent the fimbrea from grasping an egg. Women who have had chronic inflammation are at an increased risk.
• On or within the issues of the cervix: These adhesions can cause the cervix to constrict, preventing the passage of sperm. They can also cause uterine spasm. Women who experience deep intercourse pain frequently have adhesions in this area.
• On the pituitary: Located within in the cranium, the pituitary can be restricted by adhesions that pull on the cranial bones and dura of the spine. When this happens, the pituitary’s function is decreased, resulting in hormonal dysfunction. Women with chronic headaches are likely to have adhesions around the cranium.

Adhesions are particularly difficult for doctors to diagnose because they are often too small to be seen by diagnostic tests. Only through surgery can a surgeon visualize adhesions, and even then, he or she cannot see adhesions within organs.

Furthermore, women may not experience one of the tell-tale signs of adhesions formation – pain. Thus, even though a woman has had a yeast or bladder infection, an IUD, a motor vehicle accident, or childhood fall, she may never realize that adhesions formed and are negatively impacting her fertility.

At CPT, our therapists palpate the entire body to find adhered and restricted mobility. Through treating the entire body, they restore proper function and enable women to finally become pregnant. To read more about our treatment for infertility, please visit our adhesions and infertility page.

The stress of preparing for visiting relatives, decorating the house, finding the perfect gift for others, and cooking scrumptious holiday meals can quickly take a toll on the body. However, women are often reluctant to take the time to re-energize or focus on themselves.

Let’s face it, the holiday season may be a time filled with joy and merriment but if the season usually leaves you feeling run down like you need a holiday from the holidays, then it’s time to learn to give a little something to yourself.

Women’s health expert Belinda Wurn states, “Women are generally nurturers and tend to focus on serving the needs of others. This can have negative consequences for women if they don’t also make time for themselves to relax and de-stress.”

Taking time for oneself can be especially difficult when a woman feels like she doesn’t deserve it. Many women are uncomfortable acknowledging their own accomplishments and strengths. Yet, without taking the time to recognize the positives, they often only see the negatives.

Sydney, who struggled with infertility, explained that all she could think was, “This part of my body isn’t working, and I hate it.” Her feelings of guilt and self-loathing were further compounded every holiday season when the focus turned to families full of young children.

Wurn, who is currently co-authoring a book about female infertility, explains, “The first step to regaining health and fertility is to recognize everything your body endures on a daily basis. Women put incredible loads on their bodies without even realizing it, creating a lot of stress- especially during the holiday season. The body functions as a whole and if one area is overworked, another part often compensates.”

Many women recognize the stress the holidays bring. Yet even though they know they deserve some special time, they still deny themselves because they feel overwhelmed with all the tasks at hand. According to Wurn, that’s when it’s time to delegate duties to family and friends. Instead of baking that pie, ask a friend if they can bring a pie to dinner. And remember that you don’t have to attend every party or help every neighbor or family member who asks. Learn to say, “I’d really love to but my plate is full.” If you’re still having difficulty setting aside time, schedule time for yourself on your own calendar.

Wurn recommends women take the opportunity this season for a self-treat. A self-treat can be as simple as a bubble bath, massage or yoga, or time set aside to read a good book. “When women start to give back to their bodies,” Wurn explains, “It sets in motion a path for better health. Once they are reinvigorated, women are able to offer so much more to others.”

Nicole, who also struggled with infertility, took Wurn’s suggestions to heart and focused on giving back to her body. Nicole stated, “I had to learn to trust my own instincts and do what I felt was best for my body.” Nicole incorporated numerous changes into her life including exercising, eating healthy, and taking time to relax. After four years of struggling with unexplained infertility, Nicole became naturally pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl.

Wurn explains, “Women can take this stressful time of year and make it the beginning of something great.”

Go ahead and buy yourself that stocking stuffer this season—bubble bath oil, a book, or a certificate for a massage or yoga class all fit easily into a stocking.

To learn more about Belinda Wurn or her upcoming book, Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain, visit http://www.clearpassage.com/.

PCOS is a hormonal disorder in which women experience difficulty with regular menstrual cycles and pregnancy, among other symptoms. Many women who experience infertility struggle with depression. The study took this in to account and found that women with PCOS were still at an increased risk for depression when infertility was not a factor. The study also found that women who had PCOS and depression were more likely to have higher body mass indexes (BMI) than women who had PCOS and were not depressed.

If you have PCOS, the last thing you need is more “bad news” about the pitfalls of this condition. However, you can take this study and use it to your advantage. Start taking steps now to prevent depression. You can start by exercising daily, which will help lower your BMI and prevent depression. You may also find it helpful to start journaling, take time to meditate, or find a fun new activity such as yoga, an art class, or dance class. These activities will help calm your mind and express yourself, thus warding off depression.

With constant baby showers, baptisms, and birth notices from friends, infertility can be a painful journey for any woman. Women who come from exceptionally fertile families often find that their experience with infertility is especially difficult.

Paulina, a former patient who struggled with infertility, told us, “I never expected to have any problems getting pregnant. My mother had four children and both of my sisters have one son. So as I faced my mid-thirties I kept wondering what was wrong with me, what was wrong with my body, why was this happening to me? I am healthy. I take care of myself. I try to eat right and exercise. Why is getting pregnant so hard?”

Jen, who also struggled with infertility, shared similar sentiments as Paulina and told us, “From an early age, I always knew I wanted children. My grandmother gave birth to 15 children, my mother 4, and my brothers and sister have 7 more kids among them.”

While women like Jen and Paulina may feel that their bodies somehow “failed” them in light of their family’s fertility, at CPT we believe female infertility can result from various experiences such as car accidents, falls, surgery, infections, etc. When these events occur, adhesions and scar tissue form to help the body. However, these adhesions can cause previously mobile structures to become adhered and restricted, thus reducing proper function – such as fertility. At CPT, we manually detach, deform, and reduce adhesions to allow tissues and organs to return to their proper function.

Paulina came to CPT for treatment after experiencing two unsuccessful IVF transfers. After treatment, she became pregnant with a third IVF transfer and delivered twins. Jen, who was denied IVF due to an FSH of 26.2, came for treatment and later became naturally pregnant. After she delivered a healthy girl, she surprised everyone by becoming naturally pregnant again and delivering twins.

Paulina and Jen’s full stories, along with 75 patient stories, will be featured in our upcoming book Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain. If you would like to read sneak-peaks of stories in the book, please sign-up for our newsletter.