A woman’s body goes through dramatic change during pregnancy. Of course, it is a joyous time as a mother-to-be and her family prepare to bring new life into the world. As wonderful as it is, pregnancy is physically taxing. Chiropractic treatment has been proven to help with the new demands on a woman’s body.

The change in a pregnant woman’s center of gravity can cause misalignments and discomfort. One area that is particularly subject to stress during pregnancy is the pelvis. The pelvis is a ring of bones made up of the two hip bones, the sacrum, which is a wedge-shaped vertebra at the base of the spine, and the coccyx, which is sometimes called the tailbone. Ligaments and other connective tissue hold them together. In a pregnant woman’s body, a hormone called relaxin, which is produced by the placenta and the ovary, is present at 10 times its normal level. The hormone relaxes the ligaments in the pelvis and softens and widens the cervix to prepare the body for delivery.

Chiropractic care aims not only to ease the discomfort brought on by the ever-loosening ligaments, but also to stabilize the pelvis. If the pelvis goes out of line, it can cause a condition called intrauterine constraint, which may actually reduce room available to the fetus. Talk with your obstetrician—and your chiropractor—as to whether you might benefit from chiropractic treatment.