Here's how stress can impact your fertility May 27, 10 min read. This article was last updated on May 27, We'll cover what the research says below, but here's a heads-up on what you'll learn: Whatever the reason for your anxiety is, the release of stress hormones like cortisol can lead to physiological changes that impact your reproductive health — and the symptoms of stress can be similar whether you're feeling it because of fertility issues, life challenges, or even serious illness.
Research shows that stress levels increase the longer you have difficulty getting pregnant. Studies around stress and fertility are complex, but there's evidence that stress can impact your hormone levels and menstrual cycles. As to whether or not stress ultimately impacts time to pregnancy, pregnancy rates, or in vitro fertilization IVF outcomes, the findings are mixed — some studies show adverse effects, while others don't.
We don't fully know how effective mental health interventions may be in increasing conception rates when stress levels are high, but there's value in improving your mental health whether or not it directly affects your fertility. First: A primer on stress and its physiological effects When you're feeling psychological distress, your body triggers its fight or flight response by activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and releasing stress hormones like cortisol and corticotropin-releasing hormone CRH.
Not only are there physiological similarities between fertility stress and other kinds of chronic stress, but stress is especially common among people who are having trouble getting pregnant: One study that followed women seeking treatment for infertility found that more than half of them showed signs of depression and about 3 in 4 showed signs of anxiety. Stress levels can increase as more time without successfully conceiving passes by. How can stress impact your fertility?
Smaller studies also make it harder for us to eliminate the possibility of other factors impacting fertility, like age or the health of reproductive organs. Stress and fertility research does not currently study a diverse group of people, and results mostly come from white women. Similarly, much of what we know comes from IVF studies involving patients with known fertility issues, which means we know less about how implantation is impacted by stress in people with presumed fertility.
Different methods of measurements, both in terms of stress and reproductive health, can complicate findings. Stress and the menstrual cycle Like we mentioned earlier, the physiological effects of stress can have an impact on the function of our reproductive system and disrupt ovulation: A study of women who took perceived stress assessments found that the high-stress group had lower levels of estrogen, luteinizing hormone, and progesterone and higher levels of follicle-stimulating hormone during the luteal phase of their cycles, which meant a higher likelihood of anovulation.
Increased levels of cortisol brought about by stress can possibly interfere with follicular development and the inflammatory processes that are required for us to ovulate , but we need better research that separates confounding factors to know exactly how this connection works and if it's a direct one.
In October , a study from Boston University's School of Public Health found that women who experienced higher levels of stress had lower rates of conception. But not every study points to a sturdy link between stress and fertility challenges: A December study of women who kept journals reporting their stress levels found no difference in conception rates. Ultimately, this new study suggests that moderate levels of stress in relatively healthy women doesn't adversely impact getting pregnant.
In yet another study of women trying to conceive, researchers found that daily perceived stress didn't negatively impact time to pregnancy if the woman already had proven fertility.
An observational study conducted out of China in had similar results involving patients with that saliva biomarker, and also found that the group of participants with higher stress levels had lower endometrial thickness, potentially affecting implantation. A study indicated that women with high amounts of stressful life events that negatively impact her quality of life may have less favorable IVF outcomes.
In the high-stress group, researchers noticed that participants had lower estrogen levels, higher risks of anovulation, and lower chances of pregnancy. Other ways stress may impact your fertility Stress can decrease your libido , resulting in you and your partner having less frequent intercourse and fewer opportunities for the sperm and egg to meet. A randomized controlled trial RCT looked at how immune system changes affect pregnancy and found that natural killer-cell NK activity increased with psychological stress, which is associated with infertility.
When you're stressed, the nervous system produces compounds called catecholamines like dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. These compounds may affect blood flow to important reproductive organs.
The catecholamines are also what trigger the secretion of the alpha-amylase enzyme, one of the biomarkers of stress. Can managing stress levels while trying to conceive improve your chances? Manage the symptoms: Exercise, yoga, meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy, individual and group therapy, and mindfulness approaches can help you take control of your stress levels.
Address potential causes: Take time to improve external factors that may be stressing you out. Aim for improved work-life balance, carve out more time for friendships, and work on strengthening your relationship if you have a partner. Read the Norwegian version of this article at forskning. Studies with rats and humans reveal how chronic stress can result in a depression. Have high blood pressure? Stressed after surgery? New research suggests your doctor could prescribe gentle massage to augment more traditional hospital treatments.
Ida Korneliussen journalist. December - University of Oslo. One technique that has shown some success is acupuncture. A study found that women, who received acupuncture prior to and following embryo transfer during IVF treatment, were more likely to become pregnant, as compared with women receiving no acupuncture. Along this line, massage may also help women overcome the detrimental effects of stress. It is known that massage has a calming effect on the heart and brain.
Other proven methods of alleviating stress include aerobic exercise, yoga, psychotherapy and support groups. Moreover, meditation, listening to music, deep breathing are other ways of eliciting the relaxation response in an individual, leading to a physical and mental calming experience.
Ultimately, women must take an honest look at their daily levels of stress, and figure out mechanisms for relieving some of it. Reversing the effects of a tubal ligation is an increasingly viable option for many women seeking to have a child. Our expert explains the procedure and the need for a fertility evaluation and other tests in advance of the surgery. Our team is committed to breaking it down for you in easily understood steps. Confused about infertility treatments and how to get started?
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