Pregnancy & Osteopathic Medicine

Pregnancy can be both an exciting and bewildering experience for women as their bodies naturally respond to hormonal and other changes that occur to accommodate the growing fetus.  These changes allow for proper nutrition, growth and development of the fetus and are designed to facilitate normal passage of the infant during the birthing process. However, these normal physiologic shifts during pregnancy can cause issues for the expectant mother such as pelvic and low back pain, sciatica and morning sickness. For women with infertility the first challenge is simply to become pregnant.  Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) can help alleviate these issues, including infertility and it can enhance the well-being of the mother and the growing fetus.  Osteopathy is based on the principle that the whole patient – body, mind and spirit are unified.  Osteopathic physicians exemplify this concept in their approach to treating pregnant women through gentle hands-on treatment.

During each of the three trimesters of pregnancy different issues may develop for the mother due to the evolving hormonal milieu and structural changes in the body.   OMT has been found to be beneficial for pregnancy-related low back and pelvic pain, sacroiliac dysfunction, sciatica, carpal tunnel symptoms such as swelling and fullness in the hands with associated numbness and tingling.  Excess fluid retention, morning sickness and unhealthy changes in blood pressure have also been successfully treated with OMT.

The benefits of OMT during pregnancy continue through the time of delivery.  Lower rates of preterm delivery, fetal distress and the use of forceps have been reported in those treated with OMT.  Other positive outcomes include shorter labor and reduced need for narcotic drugs during delivery.  Postpartum low back and pelvic pain can also improve with OMT

A study from the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association also encourages women with infertility to consider osteopathy as a safe, effective and less costly alternative to other current treatment options. Many fertility drugs carry unwanted side effects while more invasive procedures such as intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) have numerous associated risks including infection and high rates of multiple births.  Women who failed IVF have subsequently conceived after receiving OMT.

Osteopathy focuses on the whole person and offers the ideal approach to specific pregnancy-related issues as well as general optimization of health, well-being and quality of life during all stages of pregnancy. To read more about osteopathy check out these articles.