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Treating Unexplained Infertility and Adhesions

The female reproductive organs can lose function due to tiny adhesions that form when we heal, and as we age.The female reproductive organs can lose function due to tiny adhesions that form when we heal, and as we age.

Unexplained infertility (UI), also called “idiopathic infertility,” is one of the most frequently made diagnoses in reproductive medicine1.  When a couple is given the diagnosis of UI, it does not mean that there is no specific cause for their infertility – it simply means the cause has yet to be found. Therefore, it is important to consider which diagnostic tests have been given (or omitted) and the quality of care. The most frequently misdiagnosed conditions include endometriosis, tubal infertility (blocked fallopian tubes), premature ovarian ageing and immunological infertility2. Any woman who experiences unexplained infertility should speak with her gynecologist or a reproductive endocrinologist (RE) to make sure these conditions have been ruled out.

Adhesions and Unexplained Infertility

Adhesions are small, sometimes microscopic, bands of collagen. After an injury to the body, collagen surrounds the area with strong glue-like fibers that create tiny but powerful bonds. These bonds may be shaped like curtains, ropes, woven patterns, or a combination of these (see our general adhesions page for more detail). These adhesions can attach any structure in the pelvis to nearby structures. For example, if a woman falls on her hip, adhesions will rush to the area. As the body heals and the adhesions grow, they may attach to the nearby intestines or fallopian tubes. Although the area will eventually appear healed on the outside, the adhesions will remain on the inside.

Adhesions that are located near the reproductive tract can impact fertility in numerous ways. Some examples include:

Laparoscopy allows physicians to see the condition of organs. but the surgery itself can cause adhesions to form.Laparoscopy allows physicians to see the condition of organs. but the surgery itself can cause adhesions to form.

Adhesions that pull on the bones of the cranium can also put unusual pressure on the pituitary-hypothalmus complex. The pituitary is the master gland of female reproduction and is responsible for the regulation of hormones. Based on clinical trials conducted at our facility, unimpeded structure and mobility of this gland appear to be critical for the proper function of fertility.

Adhesions are a particularly difficult condition because they do not appear on most diagnostic tests. Unless the adhesions are extremely large, doctors cannot know they are there unless directly visualized during surgery.

Thus, it is extremely important that a woman with unexplained infertility examine her personal and medical history to see if she has undergone experiences that commonly lead to adhesion formation. These conditions include:

Surgery for Adhesions and Unexplained Infertility

Until recently, lysis of adhesions was the only choice medical science offered to treat pelvic adhesions. Lysis refers to cutting or burning the pelvic adhesions under general anesthesia, via laparoscopy or laparotomy (open surgery).

While lysis of pelvic adhesions can be effective, surgery carries risks and possible complications:

  1. It carries risks from anesthesia, infection, and accidental damage to organs
  2. Despite the best skills of the finest surgeon, the body creates more pelvic adhesions as it heals from the surgery designed to remove them.
Open surgery (laparotomy) in the pelvis or abdomen can cause significant adhesions formation, reducing organ mobility and function, or causing pain.Open surgery (laparotomy) in the pelvis or abdomen can cause significant adhesions formation, reducing organ mobility and function, or causing pain.

A study in Digestive Surgery found that more than 90% of patients develop adhesions following open abdominal surgery and 55% to 100% of women develop adhesions following pelvic surgery.3 Another study reported that 35% of all open abdominal or pelvic surgery patients were readmitted to the hospital more than twice to treat post-surgical adhesions during the 10 years after their original surgery.4 Thus, surgery itself has been implicated as a major cause of adhesion formation and many patients become trapped in a cycle of surgery-adhesions-surgery – with no end in sight.

The same holds true for diagnostic surgery. When doctors cannot find a cause for infertility, they frequently recommend laparoscopic surgery to visualize the woman’s pelvis and see if any mechanical factors (such as adhesions or endometriosis) are present. Unfortunately, surgery is the only certain method to diagnose endometriosis – one of the most common conditions found when physicians attempt to find the cause of unexplained infertility. Although a surgeon can cut and remove endometrial implants during the procedure, adhesions can form because of the surgery. Even if a surgeon can remove 100% of the endometriosis, women can face infertility due to the resulting glue-like adhesions that form after surgery; these adhesions can bind the delicate reproductive structures, sometimes causing pain, dysfunction, or infertility.

Treating Pelvic Adhesions with Clear Passage Therapies®

Studies in major medical journals show the Wurn Technique® increased fertility, and decreased pain.Studies in major medical journals show the Wurn Technique® increased fertility, and decreased pain.

We know pelvic adhesions well. We faced this situation 20 years ago when the physical therapist director of Clear Passage Therapies®, Belinda Wurn, developed severe adhesions after surgery and radiation therapy to her pelvis. 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 reduce or eliminate pelvic adhesions, non-surgically.

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 with certain techniques the Wurns were using. With this knowledge, they developed the Wurn Technique® to unravel the bonds between the crosslinks that comprise adhesions.

When a patient with unexplained infertility comes to our clinic, we first do an in-depth analysis of her entire body. We evaluate the entire body for areas of tension or restricted mobility, paying particular attention to the areas around incisions and sites of prior trauma, infection inflammation, etc.

The “hands-on” work practiced at Clear Passage Therapies® clinics is designed to reduce or eliminate adhesions, crosslink by crosslink. It has been shown in peer-reviewed medical journals to increase fertility, reduce adhesions, decrease pain, and improve soft tissue mobility, without the risks of surgery or drugs.

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://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/21/8/1951
  2. http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/21/8/1951
  3. Liakakos T, Thomakos N, Fine PM, Dervenis C, Young RL. Peritoneal Adhesions: Etiology, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Significance.Dig Surg. 2001; 18: 260-273. PMID 11528133.
  4. Ellis H, Moran BJ, Thompson JN, Parker MC, Wilson MS, Menzies D, McGuire A, Lower AM, Hawthorn RJ, O’Brien F, Buchan S, Crowe AM. Adhesion-related hospital readmissions after abdominal and pelvic surgery: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet Br J Med. 1999; 353: 1476-80. PMID 10232313.
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About our Book.

What physicians say:

Learn more about therapy for infertility in our book Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain (publication date: 9/2009).

 “The Wurns are revolutionizing woman's health. Their therapy is beyond surgical intervention; it taps right into the body's inherent healing capacity. Tried and proven, documented and studied again and again – the proof is in the results. There are children alive today who wouldn't be here without Clear Passage Therapies.”
Dr. Randine Lewis, L.Ac.
Founder, The Fertile Soul,
Author of The Infertility Cure and The Way of the Fertile Soul

Miracle Moms reads like a novel, rich in information about how the body works, and why the therapy may benefit some people.
- Dr. Lisa Conboy
Harvard Medical School

As a Fertility and IVF specialist, I am always looking for new options to improve success. Any therapy that helps restore natural pelvic organ function will help increase and preserve fertility. The "Wurn Technique" seems to do just that.

I have seen patients benefit from this treatment. This natural adjunct to traditional medicine and surgery makes sense.
- Dr. Mark Kan
Board Certified Obstetrics, Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
Director, Newport Fertility Center, Newport Beach, California

“I don't know which is more amazing: the adventure of discovering the treatment, the published medical studies, or the dozens of 'Miracle Moms' who shared their stories of success with this 100% natural therapy." 
- Gilli Moorhawk
Author of Miracle Babies, and Meditations and Positive Thoughts for Pregnancy & Birth

“The Wurns have published their work showing significant improvement in areas of infertility caused by endometriosis, fallopian tube occlusion, and hydrosalpinx. Their work in women’s health is exciting, exhilarating, ground breaking, and amazing.”
- Dr. Scott Miles
Gynecologist, Medical Director, Miles Ahead Health and Wellness, Indianapolis, IN

"The stunning Wurn technique reveals beyond any doubt, that when we approach the body with reverence, intelligence and a desire to reduce suffering, we can repair what the most sophisticated technologies fail to fix. Read it and learn what a pair of skilled, listening hands can do."
- Julia Indichova
Director, Fertile Heart Studio
Author of Inconceivable and The Fertile Female