Therapy to treat premature ovarian failure, and improve FSH levels

Investigating A New Treatment

Premature Ovarian Failure

Premature ovarian failure (POF) affects female fertility as we age. It has been estimated to occur in one in every hundred women (1.0%) between the ages of thirty and thirty-nine. (Obstetrics & Gynecology). Some women with POF stop menstruating, while others may have short cycles with early or no ovulation. Some women find that their periods have stopped for several months and they may have other menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes or decreased lubrication. Symptoms may occur over one to two months, or may come on gradually, over several years.

When we first began treating infertile women, we assumed that we could not affect hormone levels. We could understand how we might help the mechanics of sperm meeting egg, by decreasing the 'mechanical' blocks to that process (adhesions, blocked fallopian tubes, mechanical problems with the cervix, endometriosis). But treating those conditions was a far cry from treating hormonal conditions like high FSH and premature ovarian failure, or “old eggs” (a common phrase we prefer not to use because of its negative connotation). For this reason, we regularly refused therapy to women diagnosed with only hormonal factors, and no mechanical problems.

But once again, our patients helped us realize that we may be able to assist conditions we had never even considered. This happened when a woman who had been diagnosed "menopausal" declined to report this to us before she came for therapy, then became pregnant naturally two months after therapy. It was only then that she revealed to our Directors that she had been refused IVF three times, due to very high FSH levels – in the menopausal range. She had a successful pregnancy and live birth, then became pregnant naturally again and delivered her second child, with no further therapy after that one week at Clear Passage.

Naturally, this provoked a new interest for us. Thus, at the urging of research gynecologist Richard King, MD, we began accepting women with diagnoses of high FSH and POF. To create useful data, we tracked changes in FSH levels for these women, before and after therapy. Remarkably, these pilot cases have shown some of our highest and most promising success rates, with significant decreases in FSH levels (or pregnancies) in well over 80% of the pilot cases we have measured. Following is how we ran our clinical trials, and our results:

We measured every woman who reported high FSH values (greater than 10) before treatment and who followed up with post-treatment results. In the 16 pilot cases, 6 reported a natural pregnancy before completing a post-therapy blood test, including one woman who came to us at age 44, with an FSH of 33. Of the remaining ten women who completed a post-therapy blood test, nine of them reported decreased FSH after therapy. Most decreases were significant, with an average of 8 points in improvement. Thus, we saw improvement in 15 of 16 consecutive women we treated with documented high FSH levels (6 pregnancies, 9 of 10 with significant FSH decreases.)

We have been greatly encouraged by the success we have seen decreasing FSH levels for women reporting high FSH. We are further encouraged that most of these cases showed a very significant drop in FSH levels after therapy. We have designed a full-scale study on reversing aberrant hormone levels, and are applying to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a grant to help us create that report. Once that has been completed and published, we will be able to make a more scientifically appropriate statement about our success rates in assisting Premature Ovarian Failure and high FSH levels.

Why would therapy help hormone levels?

Successful reproductive activity and hormone levels depend on a medically recognized communication loop between the ovaries (in your pelvis) and the pituitary and hypothalamus glands (in the center of your head.)

Housed within a well-protected cavity of the sphenoid bone in the center of your skull, the pituitary gland is considered the “master gland” of female reproduction. While physicians recognize that a communication loop occurs among this gland, the hypothalamus that borders it and the ovaries, several feet away, the exact mechanism of that intricate communication loop remains a mystery. That loop, called the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, is largely responsible for whether or not a woman can bring a fertilized egg to maturity, during the process of reproduction.

As physical therapists, we are required to look at the physical mechanisms that confront us, and the findings we can measure accurately in our patients. We initially thought that we could not affect hormone levels because we assumed that the communication loop had nothing to do with the biomechanics of bodily structures. We assumed that the communication was blood-born, and out of our scope of expertise.

However, we have come to question that assumption as more and more women we treat with POF become pregnant and deliver healthy full-term babies, despite having very high or menopausal FSH levels before therapy.

At this point, we can only postulate why a large percentage of women with high FSH levels had dramatic improvements after therapy. We believe this is due to our work at the major attachments of the dura.

As shown here, the dura surrounds the spinal cord, from the bottom of the tailbone at the coccyx to the base of the skull, at the cranial occiput. From there, it enters the skull through a silver-dollar sized hole to surround the brain – and all the tissues within it. Naturally, this includes the sphenoid bone, which houses the pituitary-hypothalamus. Sheaths of the dura also surround and infuse with the pituitary itself.

During the course of therapy, we address the dura and all of its attachments, from head to tailbone. We want every patient to have the optimum chance to live exactly the life that she or he wishes; thus, we feel we would be remiss if we missed the dura and spinal cord, and all of their attachments. After all, this is literally our central nervous system, responsible for an untold number of activities. Any restriction in that system could have profound effects in various areas of the body.

We knew that the tissues within the skull (including the P-H glands) were in many ways similar to the other tissues of the human body. Thus, they would react to adhesive pulls in much the way that other tissues would.

We found that when we treated the dura and its attachments all the way into the brain, we saw dramatic improvements in FSH levels – and numerous full-term pregnancies in women diagnosed hormonally infertile.

Our research in this area is in its infancy. Yet, the initial results are overwhelmingly positive, as noted above. We now accept women with diagnoses that include premature ovarian failure, amenorrhea (no menstrual cycle), and high FSH levels and we will continue to research the results of our therapy in these areas.

If you are interested in therapy to improve FSH levels, we encourage you to apply and consult with one of our Directors, to determine if this therapy may be right for you. There is no charge for consulting with us, once you have completed and returned your questionnaire.