What is the link between infertility and stress?

  Stress can affect ovulation and make it difficult for women to get pregnant, explains the gynecologist. What can you do to increase your chances of conceiving?

A study conducted by Dr. Courtney Denning-Johnson from Ohio University, on 501 women between 18 and 40 years have shown that women who had a high stress level presented a 29 % lower probability to conceive children.

The researchers believe that these cases can be either a direct effect of stress on the body (decreased libido, erectile dysfunction) or the fact that stressed people tend to reduce sexual activity, which decreases the chance of conceiving a child.

One thing is certain, however: chronic stress affects men and women equally, and that could explain why some couples are diagnosed as infertile, without any obvious cause. And things get even more complicated when you consider that unsuccessful attempts to have a baby amplifying stress even more.

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Stress and pregnancy are interconnected

When a woman wants to become pregnant, it is impossible not to be stressed. The emotions that go along with the change of status, doctor visits, willingness and eagerness inevitably lead to the emergence of stress.

“Relax, let things drift and you’ll see that you’ll get pregnant soon” is easy to say but hard to do. This is because between infertility and stress there is more than a simple link. In this case we speak of a cause-effect relationship: infertility causes stress, and stress leads to infertility. It is very difficult to establish a clear difference between the two situations as it depends heavily on one’s personality.

“Most people want to have direct control over what happens. No wonder they feel vulnerable and distressed when, after a year of trying, pregnancy does not occur. It is very important that spouses are more relaxed during the time they conceive and it really is advisable to turn to yoga, meditation or therapy sessions, specialty”, says Dr. Courtney Denning-Johnson from Ohio University.

Stress can affect ovulation

Stress affects the quality of life, but can also affect the functioning of the hypothalamus – the gland in the brain that regulates hormones responsible for the release of eggs from the ovary, and appetite or emotions.

Thus, when women are stressed, ovulation can be disrupted.

However, it is important to distinguish between the sudden and constant stress. In most cases, our body is accustomed to constant tensions every day, but if sudden stress, caused for example by death or job loss, can cause hormonal disorders that have an impact on ovulation. Stress is not always a reaction to something negative. And positive stress can affect just as much the menstrual cycle. Of course, this varies from woman to woman.

A first warning that something is wrong is given, most often by vaginal secretion. Usually the humidity level increases as ovulation approaches, but in periods of stress we may notice a stain secretion interlaced with dry days. It’s like the body is trying to ovulate, but stress does not allow it.

Source: Healthybomb.com