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Worried that stress and anxiety could be sabotaging your chances of getting pregnant? You’ve likely had well-meaning people tell you to “keep your stress in check” while trying to conceive (TTC).
But when all you can think about is having a baby, how can you not stress? And is there actually a proven connection between stress and fertility?
The truth is that even newer studies on stress and infertility have muddled findings. As far as we can tell, on its own, stress isn’t likely to completely hamper fertility.
But (and this is a big but), studies have shown that stress can disrupt a woman’s ability to get pregnant in a variety of ways.
If that answer still feels vague and disappointing, keep reading. You’ll get a glimpse into the latest research about fertility and stress. You’ll also gain insightful tips for making your fertility journey go a bit smoother.
Key Takeaways
- Stress alone doesn’t cause infertility, but it can contribute to a variety of female fertility challenges.
- Psychological stress can impact your body’s intricate hormonal patterns. Mainly, it disrupts the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol, and progesterone.
- Stress-related hormonal disruptions can lead to fertility issues like anovulation, poor implantation, low-quality egg health, and more.
- On the flip side, infertility can absolutely lead to increased feelings of preconception stress and anxiety.
- Chronic stress may impact male fertility as well by hurting sperm health and potentially disrupting sperm production.
- Thankfully, there are many relaxation techniques and therapeutic practices that can help reduce stress caused by fertility.
- Here are a handful of stress-management techniques that you can experiment with to manage preconception stress and improve your well-being:
- Therapy
- Meditation and mindfulness
- EFT/tapping
- Visualization
- Support groups
- Journaling
Can Stress Cause Infertility in Women?
As mentioned, stress hasn’t been found to be the sole cause of infertility for women. But plenty of research has shown that stress plays a part in a slew of fertility challenges for women.
So how might stress actually lead to fertility challenges?
The short answer is: your hormones!
Even though we’re an advanced species, our body’s stress response hasn’t quite caught up. A true life-threatening situation (like a house fire) and everyday stress (like infertility or job burnout) are all the same to our central nervous system.
When your stress hormones are heightened, your Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis goes into overdrive. In this state, your body prioritizes survival functions over non-essential functions (like reproduction).
And since your hormones are all interconnected, this causes a domino effect of issues. When your HPA axis is over-activated, it affects your Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal axis (HPG) too.
As part of the stress response, your HPG axis disrupts the secretion of:
- Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) from your hypothalamus
- Luteinizing Hormone (LH) from your pituitary gland
- Estradiol and progesterone from your ovaries
You probably recognize some of these fertility hormones already.
But here’s a closer look at how these hormonal imbalances can wreak havoc on conception:
- A delayed or absent LH surge
- Anovulation or disruptions to the timing of ovulation
- A shortened luteal phase
- An endometrium that’s too thin to nurture a fertilized egg
- Disruption of the implantation process
- Poor early pregnancy outcomes due to decreased progesterone levels
- Poor quality and health of egg cells
- Changes in thyroid hormone function that could develop into hypothyroidism (in cases of chronic stress)
Know more: Can You Have a Miscarriage from Stress?
If you’re reading this feeling freaked out by this lengthy list, take a deep sigh. This is just an overview of possible ways stress could impact your menstrual cycle and TTC. And there are ways you can overcome many of these disruptions (more on those later).
But first, to fully uncover the connection between stress and fertility, let’s talk about their relationship in reverse.
Can Infertility Lead to Stress?
The evidence here is a bit more clear. Yes, struggling with your fertility can definitely increase your stress levels.
In fact, women struggling with infertility report higher levels of anxiety and depression.
In one study, infertile women had depression levels comparable to those of cancer patients.
And in another study of women undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), 35% of them had depression.
If you’ve been struggling with fertility, these results may not surprise you all that much.
But in case you’re wondering more about the “why,” here are the major ways that fertility struggles can lead to psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety:
Shame and guilt
Not being able to get pregnant may make you feel alone or like you’ve somehow done something wrong. These feelings of shame and guilt can then lead to lower self-esteem and mental health struggles.
Fear of the future and fertility treatment outcomes
You’ve probably had people in your life tell you, “Don’t worry, it will happen.” But when you’re in the trenches of infertility, the uncertainty of what will or won’t happen is overwhelming.
Undergoing multiple rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF) or suffering recurrent miscarriages can add even more psychological distress to the journey. And if you’re facing “unexplained” infertility, you may be in a constant rabbit hole of researching and trying to self-diagnose.
Medications from fertility treatments
Some fertility medications (like clomiphene and gonadotropins) can heighten your psychological symptoms due to their effect on your hormones. Not to mention the stress of carefully timing your medications or performing self-injections.
Financial stress
All those extra doctor visits and infertility treatments add up quickly. You may also be less inclined to spend money on leisure and self-care activities that normally ease your anxiety. The financial burden of infertility is real.
Relationship stress
You may feel like you have no one in your close circle who understands what you’re going through. This may make you feel isolated or put strains on your relationships with your partner, friends, or family.
If any of the above stressors resonate with you, know that you’re not alone. And while we often think of the impact of stress on female fertility, men can be impacted too.
Stress and Fertility in Men
As with women, stress in males can cause disruptions to the HPA axis and HPG axis. This can affect Leydig cells in the male testes. It can also cause decreased testosterone levels and potentially stop spermatogenesis.
In short, stress can impact sperm health and even pause sperm production altogether.
Know more: Tips for Getting Pregnant with Low Sperm Count
Regardless of the reason you and your partner are struggling to conceive, there are lots of ways to cope with stress during your fertility journey. And take back some of your power! Keep reading for lots of helpful stress-relieving ideas (some you likely haven’t thought of).
How To Cope With Stress While Trying To Conceive?
The TTC journey can be truly a testing time. While different people cope in different ways, here are some ways to deal with stress.
1. Avoid self-isolation
Struggling to get pregnant can feel super isolating. But know that there are so many more people out there going through similar struggles than you may realize. You may find that connecting with folks who can relate to your experience is very validating and therapeutic.
Try joining a supportive fertility community like the Inito community. And be open and honest with your partner about how you’re feeling. They’re probably wanting to talk about it too, but might not know what to say. If this feels challenging to navigate with your partner, consider connecting with a perinatal therapist who can help guide you.
2. Try a holistic mind-body approach
Back in 1987, the first program uniting a mind-body approach to infertility was introduced. Since then, mind-body therapy has proved to be helpful in lowering stress and increasing pregnancy rates. This approach combines modalities like relaxation training, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), journaling, and more.
Other mind-body practices to manage stress from infertility:
- Acupuncture
- Aerobic exercise (talk to your doctor first about what’s best based on your treatment plan)
- Deep breathing
- Guided imagery
- Journaling
- Listening to music
- Massage therapy
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Self-help books
- Support groups
- Visualization
- Walking/hiking
- Yoga
- EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)/tapping
3. Address additional stress caused by sex and intimacy
If your baby-making feels less and less like “love-making” these days, it may be time to try a new approach. If you think you need a reset, consider taking a temporary break from intercourse for a menstrual cycle or two.
You can also try experimenting with other forms of intimacy and physical touch. This may help you keep your physical connection strong without all the pressure of sex. Maybe go as far as to designate one room for “baby-making” and keep non-TTC sex somewhere else.
4. Focus on healthy lifestyle habits overall
Consistency and balance are more important than perfection here. But do what you can to keep your overall physical health strong.
Whether it’s ensuring regular exercise or adopting a more nutrient-dense diet, it all makes a difference. One specific change you may make is lowering caffeine levels, as it’s a stimulant that can heighten anxiety.
5. Give yourself space to feel and process your feelings
If your stress and anxiety are super overwhelming, consider talking to a perinatal therapist. You can also process your feelings by writing them out in a worry journal.
FAQs
Yes, stress does have the potential to impact oocyte quality. This is because higher stress hormones (like cortisol levels) disrupt the natural hormonal balance within your ovaries.
Know more: How to Improve Egg Quality: Is it Really Possible?
High stress levels can interfere with the hormones within your HPA axis and HPG axis. These include GnRH, LH, estradiol, and progesterone. When these hormones are out of balance, many aspects of your menstrual cycle and preconception are affected. Some potential stress-related fertility challenges include: poor implantation, thinning of the uterine lining, and anovulation.
Yes, stress, especially chronic stress, can delay ovulation or cause ovulation to be irregular. It can even lead to anovulation (when you don’t ovulate at all).
Yes, stress can lead to poor implantation outcomes. This is because stress decreases the amount of available progesterone, a vital hormone for creating the optimal environment for implantation.
High cortisol hasn’t been proven to directly cause infertility on its own. That said, increased cortisol levels can contribute to hormonal disruptions that can lead to fertility challenges.
Try making it clear to them that you care about them and that you’re there to listen if they want to talk. They may or may not wish to share at the moment, but hearing you acknowledge their struggle will let them know you support them. Try to avoid making assumptions about how they feel, telling them what you think they should do, or saying “it will all work out.”
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