Stress as a Part of Infertility

Did stress or infertility come first? Great question! There are many reasons a person may be struggling with infertility. Stress may not be the only factor, however, it can play a part in it. How does that work?

Our reproductive hormones require a certain environment to work as intended. Too much stress can trigger the body into thinking it is in a dangerous situation. When this happens, our bodies can stop producing reproductive hormones in favor of “lifesaving” hormones engaged during the fight, flight, or freeze response. Your body relies on these hormones to create the ideal conditions for conception. If your body is too stressed it will think it is too dangerous to have a baby at this time and stop producing reproductive hormones in order to produce hormones designed to save your life. Reducing stress and increasing the amount of time you feel “rested” is one way to give your body the best chance possible to conceive.

By “rested”, I mean maintaining homeostasis or balance within your body despite external stressors. Your autonomic nervous system is divided into two main parts which determine which hormones get produced during specific times. They work together to keep our bodies in balance.

The sympathetic nervous system controls the “fight or flight” hormones like adrenaline and cortisol designed to save your life during stressful moments. If we spend too much time here, our other functions begin to suffer, like reproduction, sleep, and digestion.

We want to spend most of our time in the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the spa, in order for our bodies to continue proper function. This is when adrenaline and cortisol levels diminish, the body feels ready to “rest and digest”, and allows for energy storage and reproduction. The body knows it is a safe time to reproduce.

I know how hard it is to activate the relaxation response and stay in “rest and digest” while trying to conceive. You are most likely facing disappointment and/or an overwhelming amount of tests and treatments during this stage of your life, which can easily trigger your stress response. You are doing everything you can to make sure you conceive and you might not even feel like yourself anymore. Know that YOU are a total badass and you are not alone! There are many things you can do to bring yourself back to the spa state and activate your relaxation response in support of better hormone reproduction.

When you are ready to reduce stress and feel rested while trying to conceive, check out these strategies (coming soon):

*More Nurtured Knowledge – Coming Soon:

Mindfulness for Infertility

Affirmations for Infertility

Meditations for Infertility

7 Breathing Techniques (and a bonus favorite) to Reduce Stress During Infertility