Overcome Secondary Infertility Without Surgery or Drugs

Over three million people in the United States are affected by secondary infertility.¹ This diagnosis occurs when a couple cannot conceive or carry a child to full-term after the birth of a biological child. The National Center for Infertility reports that secondary infertility is more common than primary infertility. However, couples who experience secondary infertility are less likely to seek medical assistance because they were able to become pregnant the first time.

Understanding the Role of Adhesions in Secondary Infertility

When a woman experiences secondary infertility, we first ask if she had a c-section or episiotomy during her child-birth. Either of these procedures can cause adhesion formation which can interfere with future fertility.

Whenever the body is injured, collagen rushes to the site to help the area heal. As the collagen builds, it forms sticky adhesions that remain there long after the body appears healed on the outside. Because these adhesions are “sticky,” they can cause nearby structures to become adhered together. When naturally mobile structures are adhered and restricted, their function can decrease (see our general adhesions page for more detail).

Adhesions and scar tissue that form after a c-section or episiotomy can cause extensive damage. Scar tissue in the uterus may prevent proper embryo implantation. If the scar tissue pulls on the uterus, it may cause the uterus to go into spasm and cause an early miscarriage. Scar tissue around the ovaries can prevent proper hormonal function or the release of an egg. Scar tissue near the fallopian tubes may cause the tubes to become blocked. Scar tissue in the vagina, such as after an episiotomy, may cause stiffness of the vagina or cervical stiffness (stenosis), thus preventing passage of the sperm.

If a woman experiences any pain around the site of incision or suture, it is a sign that adhesions might have formed there. Furthermore, the trauma of childbirth itself can cause adhesions to form.

When treating women with secondary infertility, we also ask if they experienced any of the following events (all of which can cause adhesion formation) since the birth of their child:

• Surgery
• Use of an intra-uterine device
• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• Infection (vaginal, bladder, etc.)
• Endometriosis
• Ectopic Pregnancy
• Car Accident
• Physical or Sexual Abuse

A woman must also consider how much she has aged since her last pregnancy. If she is over 35, we take her hormonal function into consideration and make sure that the pituitary-hypothalamus feedback loop is not restricted.

Treating Pelvic Adhesions with Clear Passage Physical Therapy

We know pelvic adhesions well. We faced this situation 20 years ago when the physical therapist director of Clear Passage Physical Therapy, Belinda Wurn, developed severe adhesions after pelvic surgery and radiation therapy to her abdomen. Unable to work due to the pain, and having seen the devastating and debilitating effects of pelvic adhesions in her own patients, she was determined to find a non-surgical way to address pelvic adhesions.

With her husband, massage therapist Larry Wurn, Belinda took a much deeper look at the etiology and biomechanics of adhesion formation. They found that the chemical bonds that attached each of the tiny collagen fibers to its neighbor appeared to dissipate or dissolve when they used certain techniques they developed over the years. With this knowledge, they developed the Wurn Technique® to unravel the bonds between the crosslinks that comprise adhesions.

The “hands-on” work practiced at Clear Passage Physical Therapy clinics is designed to reduce or eliminate adhesions, crosslink by crosslink. It has been shown in peer-reviewed medical journals to reduce adhesions, decrease pain, and improve soft tissue mobility, without the risks of surgery or drugs. CPT has helped numerous “infertile” women who struggled with conditions like blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis, hormonal dysfunction, secondary infertility, and unexplained infertility experience motherhood.

Visit our “what treatment is like” web page for more information, or click the link at the bottom of this page now, to complete a medical history questionnaire and apply for a free, in-depth consultation.

1. http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=lrn_wii_si