Explore how chiropractic adjustments can influence the menstrual cycle, promoting hormonal balance and improving reproductive health naturally.
Menstruation and Chiropractic Care
The female menstrual cycle is a series of events during which a mature egg is released from the ovary into the reproductive tract every 28–32 days. A series of changes occur in the reproductive tract to prepare for fertilization. The hormonal fluctuations observed during the cycle are responsible for these changes, as well as for a potential pregnancy. Some of the body parts involved in the menstrual cycle include the brain, the pituitary gland, the uterus and cervix, the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, and the vagina. Certain chemicals in the body called hormones rise and fall in level throughout the month, triggering the menstrual cycle. The ovaries produce two important female hormones: estrogen and progesterone. Other hormones involved in the menstrual cycle are follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which are produced by the pituitary gland.
What happens during the menstrual cycle?
Menstruation is part of the menstrual cycle, which helps a woman’s body prepare each month for a potential pregnancy. The cycle begins on the first day of the period. The average menstrual cycle lasts 28 days; however, a cycle can last anywhere from 23 to 35 days. During the first half of the menstrual cycle, estrogen levels rise, causing the lining of the uterus to grow and thicken. As a result of follicle-stimulating hormone, an egg (ovum) begins to mature in one of the ovaries. Around day 14 of a typical 28-day cycle, a surge in luteinizing hormone causes the egg to be released from the ovary. This is called ovulation. During the second half of the menstrual cycle, the egg begins to travel through the fallopian tube toward the uterus. Progesterone levels rise, which helps prepare the lining of the uterus for pregnancy. If a sperm fertilizes the egg, and the egg attaches to the wall of the uterus, the woman becomes pregnant. If the egg is not fertilized, it breaks down or is absorbed by the body. If pregnancy does not occur, estrogen and progesterone levels drop, and the thickened lining of the uterus is shed during menstruation.
THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
From an anatomical and physiological standpoint, the female reproductive system can be considered to consist of three basic elements: the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the ovaries. The dynamic interrelationship among these three organs enables the characteristic periodicity of the normal female sexual cycle. The morphological and endocrine changes that occur during each menstrual cycle are a natural consequence of the species’ reproductive capacity. The hypothalamus is a gland that forms part of the brain and is located below the thalamus. It releases at least nine hormones that act as inhibitors or stimulants on the secretion of other hormones in the anterior pituitary gland; therefore, it can be said to work in conjunction with the pituitary. One of the hypothalamus’s most important functions is to serve as the link between the nervous system and the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. It is generally considered the integrative center of the vegetative or autonomic nervous system within the central nervous system. It is also responsible for somato-autonomic integration functions. It regulates the body’s homeostasis in conjunction with the pituitary gland through a negative feedback system (body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, anger, and the menstrual cycle). Any abnormality that disrupts the normal functioning between the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the ovaries—THAT IS, BETWEEN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM—will result in an alteration in hormonal secretion and, consequently, a fertility disorder.
MENSTRUAL CYCLE ABNORMALITIES
Premenstrual Syndrome:
A disorder characterized by nervousness, emotional instability, anxiety, depression, and possible headaches, swelling, and breast pain. It occurs during the 7–10 days before menstruation and usually subsides a few hours after the onset of menstrual bleeding.
Amenorrhea:
Primary amenorrhea is the failure of menstruation to begin, accompanied by insufficient growth and the absence of secondary sexual characteristics; it can also be a form of delayed puberty. Secondary amenorrhea occurs when women with normal menstrual cycles stop menstruating for 6 months or longer. The cause of the loss of a regular menstrual cycle may be a disorder of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovaries, or other glands.
Menorrhagia:
Menorrhagia is excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding caused by abnormal endometrial shedding.
Dysmenorrhea:
Dysmenorrhea is very painful menstrual bleeding caused by: Excessive uterine contractions.
CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR WOMEN
Chiropractic care focuses on the nervous system. A doctor of chiropractic identifies and corrects nerve interference or subluxations in order to reconnect the brain with the rest of the body, thereby allowing each organ to function properly. We have seen previously that a woman’s menstrual cycle is directly related to the nervous system—since the primary regulator of the cycle, “the hypothalamus,” is an organ of the nervous system. An interference in the nervous system prevents the hypothalamus from sending its signals to the endocrine system; hormones cannot be secreted, and we will see the onset of a disorder in the female menstrual cycle.
However, chiropractic does not cure anyone of anything. But it has been proven time and again that restoring optimal neural function through specific chiropractic adjustments contributes to improved homeostasis and physiological adaptation, allowing the body to achieve a higher level of health.
