Can Stress Affect Fertility?

“Relax yourself and you`ll get pregnant! Don`t think so much about it! Your moment will soon come!” Maybe you heard such advice if you are among the women who fail to get pregnant. Although these are common tips that most of us get from time to time and don`t really give much thought to them, they also have some truth into them.

You don`t really need to take lots of tests and analyzes that could cause you a lot of stress to make a child. If you add to this all the daily worries and job tasks, the stressful picture is complete.

Not once you may have felt the pulse rushing and suddenly have sweating hands. Add to these symptoms headaches and restless sleep and you are definitely in the category of the stressed people.

Can Stress Be a Cause of Infertility?

More research seem to confirm that there`s a link between stress, anxiety, depression and infertility. When a person is stressed, the sexual intercourse is different, which results that it`s possible for the woman not to be so fertile during these moments. In the case of some women, chronic stress may affect ovulation by changing the signals from the hypothalamus, the center of the brain regulates some hormones that influence the ovaries in releasing an egg each month. Women who are stressed non-stop might have a less regular menstruation, which makes the process of planning a pregnancy a little more difficult. Some research shows also that stress may affect the level of testosterone and the sperm production in men. There are also studies that suggest that stress has even a greater impact, including fertilization issues in the uterus. – Read this info!

Can Infertility Be a Cause of Stress?

If a person finds out that she isn`t able to conceive a baby, she`s more prone for stress, anxiety and depression. A study from Japan showed that almost 40% of women with fertility issues were diagnosed with anxiety and depression even before they started following a treatment for fertility.

Most people aren`t fertile due to real physical issues. However, as time passes, feelings of stress and anxiety often intensify, so even if the physical cause is treated, the excessive stress level might be another cause for which those people still cannot conceive a baby.

Daily Stress

Most studies have been conducted among people who are already experiencing fertility issues. Everyone has a stressful experience every day; it`s part of our lives. However, it`s important to relax as much as possible, especially during the weekends and try not to be worried or afraid, and to eat and sleep properly. Generally, our organism adapts pretty well to every day`s demands. But when sudden changes occur (such as, the death of a close person, moving to a different city, the loss of a job), women might immediately have abnormal menstrual issues.

How to Know if Stress Affects your Fertility?

The simplest way is to measure your basal temperature each and every month. If stress has overwhelmed your body, then the basal temperature that you measure to track your ovulation will have very different values from one month to another. It`s the clear sign that your hormones that affect the stages of your menstrual cycle are disturbed due to stress.

A study performed in 1997 by an Australian university has reached the conclusion that women become pregnant easier in the periods with no stress and worries in their lives, compared with the agitated and stressful periods.

What Is the Scientific Explanation?

Everyone lives today under stress: at work and at home. After all, it affects us both physically and mentally, and our body puts into motion all the mechanisms to protect us against negative effects. – Click this page!

When you are stressed, a hyperstimulation of the suprarenal glands occurs, which secretes cortisol to help the body cope with stress. The negative effect of this hyperstimulation of cortisol is the increase in blood pressure and glucose. Additionally, there might be higher concentrations of adrenaline and prolactin, which inhibit the hormone production needed for ovulation, meaning that your fertility decreases.

Not all individuals react in the same way in stressful situations. Anthropological studies show that in the biological environment (from bacteria to the animal kingdom), extreme stress, such as that generated by situations in which life is threatened, stimulates and precipitates the reproductive function. Procreation is the most important function of a species and it must manifest even if it`s to the detriment of the individual.

In humans, things are a bit more complicated. Chronic stress affects both women and men in equal manners. The direct way in which it influences the function of reproduction isn`t fully elucidated, but there are several directions I which research is carried out. The mechanisms are hormonal and vascular.

There was discovered in the blood of people undergoing chronic stress, constantly increased levels of cortisol and catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline). These are hormones involved in the organism`s response (physical, emotional, illness, surgical, traumatic, obesity, etc) and are supposed to maintain insufficient vascularization in the uterine mucosa, which hampers the fertilization ovulation phenomenon. Also, they may reduce the processes or oogenesis and spermatogenesis to some extent. For these particular reasons, even artificial insemination or fertility treatment has lower chances of success.

Indirectly, stress decreases fertility through the disturbances of the sexual dynamics it generates. Reducing the number of sexual contacts, decreasing libido or erectile dysfunction may reduce changes of bringing a child into this world.

Nowadays, relaxation, massage or acupuncture methods are developed to counterbalance the harmful effects of stress as well as to normalize fertility. But there are a lot of things that we can do for ourselves to get rid of daily concerns and enjoy the beautiful part of life.

However, one thing should be taken into account, relaxation shouldn`t be done with the exact purpose of bringing a child to this world. In this situation, it can become an additional stress factor. Real relaxation is made for the sake of feeling better with ourselves, in our skin and with our partner in the couple. Because enjoying life is a natural and wonderful thing. It`s our God-giving right from birth!

Controlling Stress

It may seem very difficult to get rid of stress between 2 office sessions, a run to the shopping mall and bill to pays. Even if these worries don`t disappear, as mentioned above, there are ways that you can use to counterbalance their negative effects, such as courses of yoga, relaxation techniques, mediation or massage.

Learn how to create your own balance in these difficult moments and the ones that you dedicate to yourself. Book your week for yourself, for your won hobbies and pleasures.

Another essential step is to share worries with your close ones, especially with the closest person to you. Discuss with your partner about your concerns about fertility or conception.

A study in 2010 performed by Oxford University showed that stress can reduce the chances for a woman to conceive. The advice of the researchers for the couples that go through these problems is to try and relax as much as possible, to find any means necessary to reduce stress and get rid of bad thoughts if they want to increase their chances of conceiving a child.