New Medical Study Finds Stress Doubles the Risk of Infertility
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New Medical Study shows that Stress doubles risk of infertility
Women with the highest levels of stress hormone in their saliva were far more likely to fail to get pregnant within 12 months of trying according to medical study in US
You may already be aware of how stress can affect your physical being as well as how you feel in your mind about things. Often trying to get pregnant can be a stressful time. This new study shows how that level of stress relates to the ability to conceive.
Stress doubles the risk of infertility in women, scientists have found, and have recommended yoga and mediation for those hoping to become pregnant. Hypnotherapy is another useful way to learn how to reduce your stress levels and help with all areas of your life.
Researchers discovered that women with the highest levels of stress hormones in their saliva were far more likely to fail to get pregnant within 12 months of trying. The findings were published in the journal Human Reproduction.
It may explain why women who have struggled to get pregnant manage to conceive often after they give up and the anxiety of trying has been removed. This happens quite often and the release of pressure can be the one thing that makes all the difference.
The study was conducted by Dr Courtney Denning-Johnson Lynch, from Ohio State University in the US, who said: "We have demonstrated that women with high levels stress biomarkers have a lower probability of becoming pregnant, compared to women with low levels of this biomarker. For the first time, we've shown that this effect is potentially clinically meaningful, as it's associated with a greater than two-fold increased risk of infertility among these women."
Dr Lynch urged women having difficulty getting pregnant to consider stress-managing techniques, hypnotherapy is just one of the ways to help manage stress, yoga and meditation can also really help.
However she pointed out that stress is not the only factor involved in fertility problems and may only play a minor role.
Co-author Dr Germaine Buck Louis, from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and HumanDevelopment in Rockville, US, said: "Eliminating stressors before trying to become pregnant might shorten the time couples need to become pregnant in comparison to ignoring stress.
"The good news is that women most likely will know which stress reduction strategy works best for them, since a one-size-fits-all solution is not likely."
Previous research had already highlighted an association between high stress levels and a reduced probability of pregnancy.
The new findings, linking stress to infertility, are published in the latest online edition of the journal Human Reproduction.
Scientists measured levels of alpha-amylase, an enzyme in saliva that provides a biological indicator of stress.
The team tracked 373 American women aged 18 to 40 who were free from known fertility problems and had just started trying to conceive.
Their progress was followed over a period of 12 months, or until they became pregnant.
Women with high levels of the biomarker were 29 per cent less likely to get pregnant each month than those with low levels, the researchers found.
They were also more than twice as likely to be declared infertile.
Hypnotherapy has been proven to help reduce stress levels and helping couples to conceive is one of the most rewarding things to be able to be involved in. If you would like to speak to me in confidence then just call 07980 233160 or email me at [email protected]
