Infertility and stress
The impact of nervous exhaustion and stress on our health is difficult to overestimate. Anyone who has faced difficulties knows that various illnesses go hand in hand with stress, and each one is different – it hits the weakest point. Experiences lead to disturbances in sleep, nutrition (and, consequently, metabolism), and hormonal levels. It is difficult to say which specific “button” stress presses in the key to infertility. After all, many factors play a role in the process of conception. It is known that excessive stress and depression can even cause early menopause.
Infertility is the scourge of a civilized, emancipated society.
With the quickening pace of life, we have learned to be as multifunctional as our “gadgets.” Women who have joined the career race take on enormous responsibility, solve complex energy-consuming issues, sometimes do not even have time to eat properly and are constantly in a state of stress – with a mobile phone in hand, in touch 24 hours a day. Surely many of you have noticed that severe sudden stress can disrupt the menstrual cycle.
Chronic fatigue and your constant “nerves” act according to the “storage system” – the result will be the same: hormonal imbalances, which entail disturbances in the menstrual cycle, and therefore the ability to get pregnant. Women have begun to take less care of their health simply because they have no time, and then they are forced to face the harsh truth – the problem of conceiving.
How does stress affect fertility?
The picture looks like this: during stress, the amount of the hormone prolactin in the body increases, which suppresses the production of the hormones LH and FSH, which are necessary for normal egg maturation and ovulation. In addition, all this also affects the decrease in the amount of estrogen, which is why the endometrium (inner lining of the uterus) remains underdeveloped. This, in turn, leads to the fact that even if fertilization takes place, it will be difficult for the egg to attach to the wall of the uterus.
The second factor affecting the ability to conceive is muscle tension. You can easily notice that during emotional shock the muscles of the whole body or individual parts of it contract. Nerve fibers also send impulses to the smooth muscles – this leads to hypertonicity of the uterus and spasm of the fallopian tubes, which also prevents normal conception.
What about men?
All of the above applies to men as well. Hormonal changes lead to a deterioration in spermatogenesis, and muscle hypertonicity leads to impaired potency and ejaculation.
Stress is the culprit of IVF failures.
A woman starting infertility treatment or IVF procedure experiences enormous stress. She knows that not all cases end in a successful pregnancy, and she is overcome by fears: “What if it doesn’t work out? What if I can never become a mother? These thoughts and the stress associated with them only interfere with the process of conceiving a child.
How to avoid stress?
Of course, not everyone can afford to radically change their life – quit their stressful job, spend more time in nature and doing pleasant things. But each of us can at least try to get rid of the negative emotions we receive. Various relaxing techniques help with this – meditation, yoga, art therapy. Do the maximum to ensure that your body and brain rest – aromatherapy, massage, walks in the fresh air and communication with nature, these simple known things are what will help you get rid of stress and not face such a problem as infertility.
Important Tips
1. You need to know that drugs that contain hormones affect a woman’s emotional background: frequent changes in mood, tearfulness, and depression occur. Therefore, you need to minimize such manifestations, receive only positive emotions and distract yourself from pressing problems.
2. You need to try to make changes in your intimate life. Be sure to follow the doctor’s recommendations (about favorable times for intimacy), but also do not forget about sexual relations at other times.
3. You should not focus on conception. The effect may be the opposite. On the contrary, you need to discard unnecessary thoughts, be yourself next to your loved one, think about him. Positive emotions and mood will increase the likelihood of conception.
4. You need to talk to each other, praise your significant other, support.
5. Try to treat questions and hints from relatives more calmly. Outline a certain line that even close people should not go beyond.
