Facilitating Fertility Through Pelvic Health
Pelvic health physical therapy to support fertility? You bet! Fertility challenges are on the rise and pelvic health physical therapists are well positioned to help! Join us as Dr. Sinéad Dufour reviews the what, why and how related to physical therapists facilitating fertility through the optimization of pelvic health.
In this talk Dr. Sinéad Dufour will review how together with a collaborative team approach, physical therapists are key primary care providers to support conscious conception. Specifically, she will discuss aspects of the pelvic health that are highly relevant when it comes to fertility promotion including but not limited to pelvic floor status, general tissue health and specific pelvic tissue restrictions including organ position, status of gut and associated immune system, status of the autonomic nervous system and more globally the degree of resilience in the stress-response system. You will appreciate a re-conceptualization topics such as pelvic pain, constipation and lifestyle interventions through the lens of conscious conceptions and “whole” care. At the end of this talk, registrants will have a better understanding of the what, why and how when it comes to supporting people with fertility challenges.
References
- Harrison CL, Brown WJ, Hayman M, Moran LJ, Redman LM. The Role of Physical Activity in Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum Health. Semin Reprod Med. 2016 Mar;34(2):e28-37. doi: 10.1055/s-0036-1583530. Epub 2016 May 11. PMID: 27169984; PMCID: PMC6986386.
- Taghavi SA, Bazarganipour F, Allan H, Khashavi Z, Reisi N, Dosha N, Aghili F, Keramati M, Zahedi S, Aji-Ramkani A. Pelvic floor dysfunction and polycystic ovary syndrome. Hum Fertil (Camb). 2017 Dec;20(4):262-267. doi: 10.1080/14647273.2017.1292003. Epub 2017 Feb 21. PMID: 28635410.
- Orr NL, Noga H, Williams C, Allaire C, Bedaiwy MA, Lisonkova S, Smith KB, Yong PJ. Deep Dyspareunia in Endometriosis: Role of the Bladder and Pelvic Floor. J Sex Med. 2018 Aug;15(8):1158-1166. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2018.06.007. PMID: 30078464.
- Anton C, Ciobica A, Doroftei B, Maftei R, Ilea C, Darii Plopa N, Bolota M, Anton E. A Review of the Complex Relationship between Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Infertility. Medicina (Kaunas). 2020 Nov 6;56(11):592. doi: 10.3390/medicina56110592. PMID: 33172048; PMCID: PMC7694637.
- Kloss JD, Perlis ML, Zamzow JA, Culnan EJ, Gracia CR. Sleep, sleep disturbance, and fertility in women. Sleep Med Rev. 2015 Aug;22:78-87. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2014.10.005. Epub 2014 Oct 18. PMID: 25458772; PMCID: PMC4402098.
About the Presenter
Sinéad Dufour, MScPT, PhD
Dr. Sinéad Dufour is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Health Science at McMaster University. She teaches and conducts research in the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Rehabilitation Science. She completed her MScPT at McMaster University (2003), her PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Science at Western (2011), and returned to McMaster to complete a post-doctoral fellowship (2014). Her current research interests include conservative approaches to manage pelvic floor dysfunction, pregnancy-related pelvic-girdle pain, and interprofessional collaborative practice models of service provision to enhance pelvic health and pain science. Sinéad stays current as a pelvic health physiotherapists through her practice at The World of my Baby (the WOMB) a family of perinatal care centers in Ontario, Canada. Sinéad has been an active member of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) sitting of multiple committees and leading several clinical practice guidelines. She also proud to serve as a clinical advisor many women’s health businesses. Her passion for optimizing perinatal care and associated upstream health promotion for women stemmed from her own experience becoming a mother of twins. She is an advocate for women’s pelvic health and a regular invited speaker at conferences around the world. She is the guest editor for the upcoming special edition of the JWHPT focusing on the 4th Trimester.
