Happy Thursday!
This is our third installment in the Women’s Health Month series, and we can’t believe that there’s only one more after this. In just three weeks, we have surpassed our goal of giving menstrual products to 10 women for a year through Moon Tim Sisters – and we have sailed right to FOURTEEN women! Somebody pinch me, because I’m so amazed at people’s generosity. It’s amazing!
This week, we’re going to talk about two topics that may be a little on the painful side: menorrhagia and amenorrhea. Amenorrhea is defined as the absence of your period, while menorrhagia is prolonged and heavy bleeding. Both are complicated conditions that affect your body – and thankfully, both can be treated with Chiropractic adjustments!
Menorrhagia
To research this topic, I read through a lot of information – but one from The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association stood out to me. I will summarize, but if you’re interested in reading more, you can check it out here. The ovaries are influenced by sympathetic nerve fibres from the 10th and 11th thoracic spinal segment, and parasympathetic fibers are from the inferior hypogastric plexus (a network of nerves that supply the organs in the pelvic cavity). The uterus is supplied by the 12th thoracic and 1st lumbar segments (sympathetic) and by the 2nd and 4th sacral spinal segments (parasympathetic). That may be some science that you weren’t ready for on a Thursday afternoon, but it’s important to know the science of how your brain communicates with different areas of the rocking bod that you call home. Think about it – if any of the above mentioned vertebrae are out of alignment, how is your brain going to effectively communicate with your uterus and ovaries? There are actually a relatively small number of case studies in regards to menorrhagia, which is mostly attributed to women not talking to their Chiropractors about the issue. The case studies that do exist however, show very positive results. One patient who had been bleeding continuously for three months experienced a complete stop in her bleeding after just two adjustments. Correcting the subluxations in your spine has shown to be incredibly beneficial to uterine function, and can help you have a much more manageable period.
Amenorrhea
Irregular periods can actually cause quite a bit of frustration in your life – lethargy, body pain, hormonal imbalance and severe cramping can be some of the symptoms. Birth control is often prescribed for this kind of menstrual disorder, because the hormones help to regulate your body. However, there is another route that can be taken. The ovaries and uterus can be functioning improperly because the above mentioned spinal segments are subluxated, but with a different result in the body. In a case study of a 21 year old patient with secondary amenorrhea (absence of menstruation when the patient has previously menstruated), after 16 weeks of care she had a regular cycle for the first time in her entire life. In another case study of a 25 year old patient who had never menstruated (primary amenorrhea) without the use of birth control had her first non-medicated menstrual cycle after only 3 adjustments.
To conclude – please talk to your Chiropractor about your menstrual cycle. Whether it’s too much bleeding, painful menstruation, a cycle related mental health struggle, or the absence of your period during your childbearing years, we can help. It’s something that we ladies experience for almost 40 years of our lives, and there are many ways to help you manage it if you’re struggling.
Until next week!
Lauren
