LifeCare Chiropractic

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ovulation

Risk of Knee Ligament Injury Tied to Ovulation – (08-27-01)

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Risk of Knee Ligament Injury Tied to Ovulation

I thought this article was interesting in that it related hormonal fluctuations with risk of ligamentous injuries. The idea that hormones change ligaments is by no means new–relaxin is secreted during pregnancy to allow the pubic symphysis to stretch and allow passage of the newborn through the birth canal. This article, however, suggests that other hormones may have similar characteristics. Consider this…hormones are readily modified by environment. It would be not great stretch to consider environmental impacts on hormonal regulation and subsequent alterations in ligament strength and flexibility. Might this lead to increased aches and pains seen in some chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis?

Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Ovulation, and possibly oral contraceptive use, may play important roles in women’s risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, according to study findings presented at a recent meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine in Keystone, Colorado. Principal investigator Dr. Edward M. Wojtys of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and colleagues evaluated 65 women with ACL injuries and collected urine samples within a day of each woman’s injury to establish the phase of her menstrual cycle. They found that more than 2.5 times the expected number of injuries occurred during ovulation than during other points of the menstrual cycle. Because this pattern emerged only among women who were not on birth control pills, the findings also suggest that oral contraceptive use may provide some measure of protection from the injury, the researchers note. However, lead study author Dr. Wojtys stressed that the findings do not suggest birth control pills offer a way to prevent ACL injuries. “This research does not justify pulling young ladies out of sports or putting young women on oral contraceptives in order to prevent ligament injuries,” Dr. Wojtys, the director of sports medicine at the University of Michigan, said in a statement. “There is some evidence that ACL injuries are tied to the menstrual cycle and probably to hormones,” he added, “but we don’t have enough information yet to justify the use of oral contraceptives in order to prevent ligament injuries.” Studies indicate that female athletes rupture their ACLs up to eight times more often than male athletes do. A number of factors — from differences in musculature and training methods to women’s wider hips — are believed to account for the higher rate of ACL injuries among females. Previous research has also pointed to the role of the menstrual cycle, showing that ACL injuries are more common during ovulation. Estrogen levels are increased during ovulation and some researchers have speculated that hormone fluctuations factor into women’s ACL injury risk. But Dr. Wojtys said this relationship remains unproven. “Even if it is the menstrual cycle that is having some effect on the susceptibility of soft tissue…the susceptibility is not clear,” he said in the statement. “People are jumping to the conclusion that it is estrogen and it is acting at the anterior cruciate ligament, when in fact, there are multiple places where any hormone could act, including muscles, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system,” Dr. Wojtys added. He suggests further research is needed on how hormones affect ligaments and other soft tissue, as well as how hormones might alter the function of muscles and nerves.

Prevalence and Features of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – (06-18-04)

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Prevalence and Features of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

This article suggests a prevalence as high as 8% of PCOS which puts it as the most common endocrine abnormality of reproductive aged women in the US. PCOS has been linked very strongly to insulin resistance.

This link seems to come from elevated insulin affecting 15,20 lyase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen. So, elevated insulin slows conversion to estrogen, essentially rising levels of testosterone  which messes up the ovulation process. The problem is that PCOS has traditionally been treated with oral contraception, which is know to worsen insulin resistance. Another perfect example of how we can actually screw the body up worse if we try to override human physiology instead of balance it.

JCEM — Abstracts: Azziz et al. 89 (6): 2745 –

Read entire article here

POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME RELATED TO INSULIN RESISTANCE – (07-25-05)

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Clomid vs Metformin as the First-Line Treatment for Ovulation Induction in Nonobese Anovulatory Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Here’s the deal.  I personally think most, if not all, cases of PCOS are related to insulin resistance.  Most likely via high insulin levels inhibiting 15,20 lyase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen, so testosterone levels rise and inhibit ovulation.  So, really, the PCOS is just one other symptoms of a time bomb ticking in your body.

What do we do in mainstream medicine?  Diffuse the time bomb?  Of course not.  We ignore it and look at the more important issue–what to due with all that pesky smoke coming off the fuse.  So ob/gyns ignore the insulin resistance and try to force ovulation with Clomid.  Should be malpractice, but unfortunately is the standard of care.

So this study looks at using Metformin (not at all my preferred method for insulin resistance treatment) vs Clomid and finds that actually treating the underlying problem (what an innovative approach!!!) results in much better results.  Don’t expect change anytime soon though…

Read entire article here

FORCED OVULATION IS NOT GOOD FOR A SUCCESSFUL PREGNANCY – (05-08-05)

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Relationship between follicle size at insemination and pregnancy success

I continue to have a problem with fertility “specialists” that force a woman to ovulate when her body is not ready.  Given that our number one absolute priority as a species is to procreate, if a woman’s body is NOT ovulating, there is a damn good reason.  The imbalance in physiology that is occurring is what needs to get fixed and rarely is recognized by the “specialist.”

This article, while relating to cows, would strongly support the idea that forced ovulation is not good.  Basically, if the egg is released at gunpoint (artificially with a compound like Clomid) it will be smaller and is much less healthy and more likely to produce a miscarriage.  However, in a spontaneously released egg size does not matter and is not related to the likelihood of a successful pregnancy.

Read entire article here

INFERTILITY IN THE POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME – (09-17-07)

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Clomiphene, Metformin, or Both for Infertility in the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Jese o’ Pete–How about NEITHER!! PCOS is a lifestyle condition that needs to be managed from a lifestyle standpoint. You force ovulation on a body that is saying it doesn’t want to get pregnant and you grow a fetus in an unhealthy system and then mom raises that child in the same poor lifestyle she had. This is a deadly combination as it pertains to chronic disease.

Although we are seeing the onset of chronic disease in younger and younger patients each generation, I firmly believe that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg as it relates to chronic disease.

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HOW DOES REPRODUCTIVE-AGE HORMONE AFFECT THE BRAIN? – (07-23-07)

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The Neurosteroid Allopregnanolone is Reduced in Prefrontal Cortex in Alzheimer’s Disease

Allopregnanolone is considered one of the most potent GABA agonist on the planet, natural or synthetic. This means it has a potent ability to calm the brain cells down. Allopregnanolone is derived from progesterone. So how would what is thought of as a reproductive-age hormone affect the brain later in life? Actually the potential for interactions are great.

First, we know that the damage with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s start decades before symptoms, putting the time frames for beginning damage well into the reproductive years.In addition, Alzheimer’s is very strongly associated with insulin resistance, and IR is well known to inhibit ovulation and lower levels of progesterone. The bottom line, however, is the same as always–prevention of these age related chronic diseases begins decades earlier, and the approach to lowering risk is multifactorial.

Read entire article here