Infertility

Any number of factors can cause female infertility. Some women have hormonal causes (e.g. high FSH, PCOS, ovulation problems), while others have mechanical causes (e.g. scarring, adhesions, blocked fallopian tubes). Many women have a combination of the two, while for some, no cause is found, leaving them with a diagnosis of “unexplained infertility.”

Approximately 6,000,000 U.S. women are presently diagnosed with infertility. Forty percent (2.4 million) are infertile due to “mechanical” causes such as blocked fallopian tubes, scarring or adhesions. Another 40 percent have “medical or hormonal” infertility, such as premature ovarian failure. Twenty percent are diagnosed infertile due to “unexplained” causes, often a combination of the other two.

Studies in medical journals found two types of fertility treatments to be helpful:

1. a few specific natural therapies, and
2. medical techniques, which may include pharmaceuticals, surgery, or assisted reproductive techniques (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Both have shown varying levels of success helping infertile couples conceive. Generally neither method invalidates the other; it is often possible to pursue both simultaneously.

Belinda Wurn treating a Clear Passage patient.

The appeal of the natural fertility treatments is that they involve neither surgery nor drugs. The low risk associated with natural approaches is sometimes offset by the fact that some natural methods have not been investigated scientifically or validated in published, peer-reviewed studies.

There is no substitute for scientific validity. Although supported by anecdotal stories of success (e.g., “it worked for a woman I read about”), many natural approaches have not passed medical review.

Only three “natural” female infertility treatments have been scientifically tested and measured, with results published in peer reviewed medical journals:

Treatments for Natural and IVF Pregnancies

The Wurn Technique^®, a unique manual physical therapy treatment developed over 20 years by Clear Passage Physical Therapy^® clinicians, was shown to improve both natural and IVF success rates in scientific studies published in 2004³,  with additional studies published in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Treatment for Natural Pregnancies Only

Group counseling improved natural fertility rates, in a 1992 study authored by Harvard psychologist Alice Domar, Ph.D. ¹

Treatment for IVF Pregnancies Only

Acupuncture performed 25 minutes before and after IVF transfer increased IVF success rates in a German study published in 2002. ²

IVF physicians treat female infertility with surgical techniques

Assisted reproductive techniques (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) have a long history of success. The first child ever born through fertilization which occurred outside the body took place in 1978. Great advances in infertility treatments have been made since and the success rates for procedures such as IVF continue to grow steadily.

ART techniques (including IUI, IVF, GIFT, ZIFT and ICSI) are performed by gynecologists, often with additional specialty degrees in reproductive endocrinology. These techniques have been extensively studied, measured and refined. While these fertility treatments carry the risks normally associated with surgery and pharmaceuticals, their validity and methods are regularly published in medical journals. Each year, success rates for participating U.S. fertility clinics are published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).

Most surgical infertility treatments such as IVF are performed by taking sperm and eggs from the couple wishing to become parents, uniting them in a sterile laboratory and transferring the fertilized egg back into the woman’s uterus or fallopian. In some cases, reproductive endocrinologists suggest that patients use sperm or eggs from other people or find a surrogate mother who will carry and bear their child.

Whichever route you choose in your journey to conceive, we pledge to do our best to inform you about your choices and help you achieve your goals. We invite you to explore our website further and learn about the natural treatments we provide for various diagnoses of female infertility and related conditions (pain, sexual dysfunction, etc.)