Stress and Infertility: The Mom-Baby-Body
Connection:
Here’s the headline that grabbed my attention on Science Daily
yesterday: Stress Puts Double Whammy On Reproductive System,
Fertility. Researchers at UC Berkeley have discovered that
stress screws up our ability to get pregnant. Makes sense: stress
is strong stuff and takes the edge off most people’s mojo. But
decreased sex drive is only part of the story.
The article says, ". . . stress boosts levels of stress hormones - glucocorticoids such as cortisol - that inhibit the body's main sex hormone, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), and subsequently suppresses sperm count, ovulation and sexual activity. New research shows that stress also increases brain levels of a reproductive hormone named gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone, or GnIH. . .. [and] puts the brakes on reproduction by directly inhibiting GnRH."
OK, so much for the medical-ese. What does it mean? Stress hormones trump reproductive hormones by making us less into having sex, reducing sperm production and ovulation. It affects both sides of the bed. Our brains tell our reproductive bits and pieces, "no go on the baby this month. This couple’s too stressed out." Our bodies accommodate by squirting out hormones that shut down production. It’s a brilliant management system where we scan our lives, evaluate our coping mechanisms then decide whether we can add another human to the mix. It all happens behind the scenes where we don’t notice it. The mind-body connection runs the show.
So what do we do if we want to get pregnant? Ditch the stress. Yeah, right, you say. Now’s not the best time to quit the high-pressure job. We can’t evict our toddlers or move to Nepal in order to have hot, crazy sex while producing top-quality sperm and eggs. If only we had more control over the stress on/stress off switch.
Well, we do. If our mind/body connection is astute enough for
self-evaluation, our conscience mind is too. Take a look at your
life. In one minute, name five things that work really well. In
another minute, list five things that don’t. The pesky thing about
stress is it isn’t just the bad stuff that fires it up. The good
stuff does too when it’s out of balance with everything else. When
we’re just too busy to be really present to what’s important and
basic in life, we’re stressed.
Check out our tips for reducing stress, and for putting
your life back into balance:
Stress management tips from our Labor
Nurse
Stretch Away Stress
6 Ways to Keep Your Marriage Intact
Stop the Madness
And - please - tell us what you think below!
