Stress and fertilty

[karinastefanelli]

Hello:) I am currently studying an access to health care course as I am hoping to become a midwife and as a research project I have choosen stress and fertilty I was wondering if anyone would be able to help and share any stories or information and ant view you have. It would be a great help!!!

It took over 3 years to conceive this pregnancy. What stressed me most was people pointing out the link between stress and fertility.

Yes the 'just relax and it will happen' comments are annoying.

And then when you're pregnant 'don't stress it will affect the baby.' Will it really!??!

Thank you!! did you feel there was much help out there for stress and what to do?

Nothing stressed me out more than being told stress was why I wasn't conceiving. Funnily enough we conceived on my most stressful cycle ever. I was crying tears of stress as we dtd that caught this pregnancy.

Stress doesn't effect fertility, fertility effects stress.

I think it is likely that stress is a minor factor in very few cases of infertility. I think it would be interesting to study other cultures and people in history who would have been under tremendous stress and still conceived. Like in some parts if Africa I believe it is quite normal for a woman to continue with physical labour in the fields right up until labour starts. What about people who were in concentration camps, I believe some babies were born in spite of the worse malnutrition imaginable and stress off the scales. Stress is usually an ignorant answer these days to why people can't conceive so I'd be very careful you aren't starting off your paper on a false assumption and then try to prove this stupid comment people trot out to infertile couples.

Also don't forget to consider the number of women in abusive relationships who easily conceive. Or all the ones with anxiety disorders and depression who conceive without difficulty. Surely they are all under a lot if stress.

There are plenty of studies on this already. Fairly sure that they haven't found a link except when the stress is so extreme it prevents ovulation. Stress is so subjective though. Infertile is incredibly stressful, telling people to relax is like telling a depressed person to cheer up. Not helpful at all.

A friend of mine has high prolactin levels inhibiting ovulation. After LOTS of tests, the high prolactin has been put down to stress (she's had significant personal and professional issues)

One area you could look at is what help is available to women undergoing ivf. In my experience the emotional side isn't really looked after at all. not that o think it affects outcome, but the mental health of the woman is important generally.

Stress and infertility are related.
Probably quite difficult to scientifically prove it though.

I don't think modern life helps. Some people are just dashing around all the time and even and spare time can be spent in the gym.
Get up in the morning, rush around getting ready, rush to work, work all day maybe in a stressful environment, rush home, rush to the gym, spend an hour exercising, rush home, eat, rush about doing washing and tidying, collapse into bed.
It is also interesting the number of seemingly infertile woman who get pregnant after adopting a child.

I agree on all the comments about "if you relax" being intensely annoying and leading to a very unhelpful cycle of stressing about stress! But I would say that if there's anything you can do to reduce your non-fertility-related stress it's definitely worth it - infertility is stressful enough in itself without having other stresses to cope with. Similarly from the perspective of the research, I think looking into practical things that could actually reduce the little stressors (e.g. how medics/clinics communicate with patients etc) would help, rather than trying to make infertility itself any less stressful.

This is a really odd way to undertake research.

paxtecum Are there any statistics on the number of infertile couples that have adopted and then naturally had their own child? I've had plenty of this stuff trotted out to me anecdotally... "My brother's friend's cousin had been trying for 8 years then they adopted/bought a dog/gave up trying/went on a year long trip around the world and got pregnant. Probably not related.

We tried for a long time and were often told to relax be well meaning friends. I was relaxed for the first year of trying and I didn't get pregnant then. It's the infertility which makes you stressed, not the other way around.

We stopped trying because we were waiting for our first round of IUI, we went on an amazing holiday, stayed in a five star hotel with a private pool, had sex under the stars every night (whilst I was ovulating), got heaps of rest and relaxation. Did I get pregnant?

Did I fuck

I'm with milton. Ime, most infertility investigations were lacking in any type of emotional support from the medical profession involved. This included being given the results of genetic testing over the phone by the nurse practitioner who knew naff all (altho this was in the US so may be different) The concept of having to get on to Dr Google and then sort through the wheat from the chaff of proper research was daunting in itself which caused huge amounts of unnecessary worry.

I was also told on numerous investigative medical occasions that I was there because I was infertile. I will never forget going for a HSG and the mental nurse saying this - I was like "err, no actually I'm not, I can't get pregnant atm. " Sounds weird but to me there is actually a difference; being told you're infertile when they haven't ruled anything in or out absolutely floored me (and i'm not as I'm now 23 weeks) It's in the same boat for me as being told if you have recurrent miscarriages that you've had a spontaneous abortion totally unnecessary

Oh and two fingers up to the people who tell you "just relax and it'll happen"

It took us 2 and a half years of trying and it was definitely due to stress (mainly from work). I had five sessions of acupuncture for fertility treatment and fell pregnant :)

Could it possibly be the effects of stress that cause it rather? For instance I had a really bad Christmas and New year, hardly ate, lost over a stone that I really didn't need to... Was still TTC however nothing happened. Think were back on track by mid Jan and I was eating normally again, sleeping well and putting on my list weight. I conceived in that cycle even though we only DTD once! Am currently 19 weeks now and have just felt the little bean moving! :)

Hi, cuppasarah, not sure you'll see this, but im worried about stress affecting my chances of conceiving and just wondered how stressed you was when you conceived.... Thx

Stress definitely played a part for me. For 25 years I was a teacher. It was a job I loved but it took all that I had to give. I would come home stressed, anxious and exhausted. I sadly remained childless.
Last year I left that stressful profession and started writing from home and now despite being in my late 40s we have conceived twice in the past year! Stress was the only thing that changed. We lost the first with a miscarriage but despite the sadness of this, we conceived again two months later. This is because although sad I wasn’t stressed like the majority of my adult life.
So yes, I’d say removing stress played a huge part in conceiving! 🙂

Sorry but can you you remove your post littletiger007 as i did ask for people notbto add to my worries.

You can't ask people to delete their posts!

I don't want anymore replies about my question but i cant seem to delete my message, mumsnet isnt very useful whem you ask for help amd people make you feel more stressed.

@Sef89 this isn’t your thread. I’m responding to the above question. I’m sorry if my story stresses you. Maybe you shouldn’t be reading this thread?
It turns out it’s a Zombie thread anyway that you awoke.

There's always 1 person that has to tell their negative story isn't there. Thanks for encouragement!!!

My story isn’t negative!! I’m pregnant. This isn’t your thread @Sef89. You can’t police it.