1 in 8 couples will struggle with infertility at some point during their reproductive years, we want to help

Mechanical Infertility Systematic Study or MISS, is a randomized multi-center trial of manual therapy for females dealing with infertility. The study is designed after a case series in which a physical therapist successfully treated infertile women with a combination of manual therapy treatments.  After receiving an average of 3.5 visits, 6 out of 10 of the women treated were able to conceive within 3 months after finishing treatments.  All 6 of the women gave birth to healthy babies  

Why Mechanical Infertility?
  • Infertility is defined by the CDC as the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected intercourse.  
  • Many of the issues that contribute to infertility can be traced to scar tissue, abnormal mechanical tensions in connective tissues and lymphatic congestion in the pelvic region.   
  • Physical therapist are experts at utilizing manual therapy techniques to release scars, mobilize restrictions in connective tissues and improve drainage of congested lymphatics.  
  • All of these treatments can be done to the reproductive system
  • Current treatments for infertility are expensive, rarely covered by health insurance, and carry varying levels of health risks. 
Click on the logo to learn more about PHRI
PHRI is a not-for-profit organization that was started by a dedicated group of pelvic health practitioners interested in conducting research to enhance the pelvic health of men and women.  As experienced clinicians, many observed that they were able to help some women that had been struggling with infertility conceive within a few months of treatment. Currently physical therapy interventions are not a readily accepted treatment method for infertility by the medical community.  These therapists combined the techniques they had been using to create a protocol designed to validate what they had experienced in the clinic could indeed be an effective treatment for some aspects of infertility.
When the researchers attempted to secure grants to fund the mechanical infertility study listed above, they were unable to garner sufficient support from the research community. Unfortunately research in the field of infertility conducted by physical therapists for a non-invasive manual therapy technique  falls outside the role of traditional physical therapy and is not within the purview of the OB-GYN profession.   
  • PHRI is recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 organization, all contributions are fully tax deductible
  • Treatment is provided at no cost to study participants
  • Learn how you can sponsor a woman through the course of the study

Information for Therapists

MISS is a protocol driven cross-over study comparing two types of manual intervention.  We are currently in phase 1, the feasibly study.  Once this is completed we will proceed to phase 2 which will be a multi-center clinical trial of the same protocol.  We are continuing to recruit investigators for phase 2.  
MISS Investigator Requirements.pdf
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