Stress & Infertility

Sorry for the delay in posting new information. I have been out of town and am back and ready to go. I have been tracking my Basel body temperature for about six month now and have been tracking the length of my cycles for even longer. I took a better look at each month the other day just to get an idea of my stats each month. In the overview I noticed how my cycles have changed since I quit my stressful job. I went from 45 day cycles to about 35 days. Could a reduction in stress really affect my cycles that much?? That led me to look into a few articles on stress and the effect that it has on fertility.

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE
PATIENT FACT SHEET
Stress and Infertility
Stress can come from just about anything that you feel is threatening
or harmful. A single event (or your worry about it) can
produce stress. So can the little things that worry you all day long.
Acute stress, caused by a single event (or your fear of it), makes
your heart beat faster and your blood pressure go up. You breathe
harder, your hands get sweaty, and your skin feels cool and
clammy. Chronic stress, which is when you are always stressed,
can cause depression and changes in your sleep habits. It can also
decrease your chances of fighting off common illnesses.
Stress makes many body organs work harder than normal and
increases the production of some important chemicals in your
body, including hormones.
Is stress causing my infertility?
Probably not. Even though infertility is very stressful, there isn't
any proof that stress causes infertility. In an occasional woman,
having too much stress can change her hormone levels and therefore
cause the time when she releases an egg to become delayed
or not take place at all.
Is infertility causing my stress?
Maybe. Many women who are being treated for infertility have
as much stress as women who have cancer or heart disease.
Infertile couples experience stress each month: first they hope
that the woman is pregnant; and if she is not, the couple has to
deal with their disappointment.
Why is infertility stressful?
Most couples are used to planning their lives. They may believe
that if they work hard at something, they can achieve it. So when
it's hard to get pregnant, they feel as if they don't have control of
their bodies or of their goal of becoming parents. With infertility, no
matter how hard you work, it may not be possible to have a baby.
Infertility tests and treatments can be physically, emotionally, and
financially stressful. Infertility can cause a couple to grow apart,
which increases stress levels. Couples may have many
doctor appointments for infertility treatment, which can cause
them to miss work or other activities.
What can I do to reduce my stress?•

Talk to your partner.
• Realize you're not alone. Talk to other people who have
infertility, through individual or couple counseling, or support
groups.
• Read books on infertility, which will show you that your
feelings are normal and can help you deal with them.
• Learn stress reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga, or
acupuncture.
• Avoid taking too much caffeine or other stimulants.
• Exercise regularly to release physical and emotional tension.
• Have a medical treatment plan with which both you and your
partner are comfortable.
• Learn as much as you can about the cause of your infertility
and the treatment options available.
• Find out as much as you can about your insurance coverage and
make financial plans regarding your fertility treatments.
Who can help us?
RESOLVE is a national support organization for couples with
infertility. For information on local chapters, you can reach them
at 1310 Broadway, Somerville, Massachusetts 02144; (617) 623-
0744. Also, support information and weekly internet chat
sessions can be found through the American Fertility Association
at www.afafamilymatters.com.
Revised 2008
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine grants permission to photocopy this fact sheet and distribute it to patients.

Other articles on this can be found at:
fertilitycommunity.com

Is Chronic Stress Affecting Your Fertility?
Stress Can Affect Hormones and Prevent Women From Ovulating
An artice on abc.com said:
Nonstop pressure and chronic stress may have a significant affect on fertility and may prevent some women from getting pregnant, according to experts.

An Iowa woman says she only found out she was pregnant after a surgery in which she underwent general anesthesia.
(Corbis)"I like to say a little of this and a little of that is worse than you think for your reproductive system," said Dr. Sarah Berga, of Emory University School of Medicine.


Berga, who has studied the impact of stress on fertility for years, said while humans are designed to deal with a certain amount of stress, chronic stress may prevent some women from ovulating.


She said it starts with the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls the release of hormones.

"Your brain is hard to fool. If you're undereating, overworking and overexercising, the hypothalamus is, in essence, keeping a running tally of what you're doing," Berga said. "Even though you can say to yourself, 'I'm not stressed.' Your hypothalamus may come up with a different answer."
If the hypothalamus senses stress, the messages sent to the ovary to release eggs may be interrupted and cause stress-induced infertility. It's an interesting process, but one that patients and even some doctors may find difficult to accept.
Susan Epstein, 49, spent years running herself ragged, not only as a long-distance runner, but later as a busy wife, student and exercise physiologist.

Oral fertility drugs helped her get pregnant with her first child, but when she attempted to get pregnant a second time, Epstein couldn't. Even three rounds of IVF didn't help her.
After visiting Berga, Epstein, who defines herself as "a get up and get going kind of woman," found out stress was inhibiting her fertility.
"I was into my career and my husband had a professional career. I had a small baby. I was new at all those things," Epstein said. "I was also exercising, still running every day — trying to keep everything afloat."
But, she said she had a difficult time believing her lifestyle could be hindering her from having the child she desired.
"I had a really hard time thinking it was me because you want to get an answer, so they can fix something — you know a prescription, a pill," Epstein said.
Berga said it is often difficult for women to learn less stress can increase their fertility.
"Suddenly, we're telling them, 'you need to alter your lifestyle in some way. Run less. Eat more.' This can sound like pretty bad news," Berga said.
But, for many, stress-related infertility can be reversed. In one study, Berga found ovulation was restored in seven out of eight women who underwent talk therapy, compared with two of eight who did not.
After hearing her lifestyle might be affecting her fertility, Epstein decided to de-stress her life. She left her job to take care of her baby, and made a conscious effort to relax. She took up yoga and piano.
"I had to stop running. I had to gain some weight. I had to take more time for myself," she said. "It sounds like exercise was time for myself, but that was really part of my whole stressful routine."


To her surprise within four months and without any medication, Epstein was pregnant. Her daughters are now 11 and 7.
"It was such a relief to like let go, for me," Epstein said. "I think it must have sent all the positive hormones in my brain that said, 'OK, you're ready now.'"
It is important to note not all stress can produce infertility, ABC News medical editor Dr. Tim Johnson said on "Good Morning America" today. The acute stress, known as fight or flight, isn't the type of stress that causes the problem, he said.
And while the research about stress and women seems to point in one direction, the link between stress and men is less clear.
"We don't have such a direct connection with sperm production and men," Johnson said. "The connection with women is much clearer."
Johnson said it's important for people listen to their bodies, but not merely for fertility.
'For our health and in general, we need to pay attention to the signals our body is sending us," he said.