In today’s modern, fast-paced society, it is easy for people to become stressed. In fact,
one would almost think that being stressed is the “in” thing, and if you aren’t stressed, it
must mean there is something wrong with you! Realistically, however, stress is not a
good thing for our bodies and has a very real impact on your fertility.
Can Stress Have an Effect on Your Fertility?
Believe it or not, our bodies are equipped to prevent conception from occurring during
times of extreme stress. The presence of adrenalin—the hormone that is released by
our bodies during stressful times—signals to our body that conditions are not ideal for
conception. Adrenaline inhibits us from utilizing the hormone progesterone, which is
essential for fertility. It also causes the pituitary gland to release higher levels of
prolactin, which also causes infertility to occur.
How Stress Impacts Fertility
Recent research tells us that stress boosts levels of hormones such as cortisol, which
inhibits the body’s main sex hormones GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone) and
subsequently suppresses ovulation, sexual urges, and sperm count.
GnRH is responsible for the release of luteinizing hormones and follicle-stimulating
hormones by the pituitary and the suppression of testosterone, estrogens, and sexual
behavior.
Chronic stress may cause a lack of libido as well as a decrease in general fertility. This
has become such a common issue that they have created a name for it: “stress induced
reproductive dysfunction.”
These facts are very important to consider if you have been trying to conceive with no
results. It also shows that stress relief should be a part of every couple’s conception
plan, even if they are going through IVF.
Trying to carry a pregnancy to term during stressful times places the fetus at risk. The
body knows this, which is why it creates an environment that is basically inhospitable to
conception. Generally, a stressed person is an unhealthy person. Women with stress
are generally overly tired, filled with nervous tension, and may not be living a healthy
lifestyle, eating properly, or worse.
Reducing Stress for Fertility
In you are having difficulty conceiving, stress may very well be a factor. If you have had
fertility tests performed and have found that there is no medical reason for your
infertility, it is time to evaluate your life and determine how much stress you have. Of
course, you may not even need an evaluation. You may already know you are stressed.
In that case, it is time to start defeating that stress to help your fertility.
There are many ways that a person can combat stress in an effort to increase their
fertility. Stress is a powerful component in a person’s life and can quickly run the body
down. While some stress is completely natural and expected, too much stress will
cause the body to go into survival mode so that your system can remain to function.
Part of this survival mode is making sure you do not become pregnant, so if that is your
ultimate goal, you will need to find some way to get rid of the stress safely and naturally.
How to Reduce the Effect of Stress on Your Fertility
- Reduce the stress in your life. This, of course, is obvious, as well as easier said
than done. But reducing the stress in your life is so important on so many levels. It will
not only help your fertility and health but also your quality of life. If your job is really
stressful, maybe begin to look for a different job or occupation. If that is not possible,
some of the tips below will help you to deal with your stress differently. - Change how you react to stressful situations. When faced with an ongoing
stressful situation, there is only one thing you have control over: how you react. Pay
attention to how you react to the stressful people at work or to your stressful situation.
Do you turn it over in your head all night long? Do you create scary future visions of
what could happen? Gaining control of how you react will have a big impact on what
happens inside your body when a stressful situation presents itself. This takes some
attention and practice. - Have a practice or habit that helps reduce stress. Here are some suggestions of
practices or daily habits that help reduce the effects of stress on your health.
Make sure you are getting enough sleep
Get an adequate amount of healthy exercise daily
Meditate
Start practicing yoga
Seek counseling
Consume natural, calming herbs and supplements
Exercise
Reading a book in the park
Take warm baths
Surrender and let go
- Herbs help with stress.
Chronic stress may cause hormonal imbalance, lowered egg and sperm health, as well
as create a lack of libido. Herbs that support healthy stress response, nourish the
nervous system, and support endocrine function are important.
Ashwagandha root (Withania somnifera)
Both a nervine and adaptogen. Works to re-regulate thyroid and adrenal gland
function. Supports overall endocrine system function for improved stress response
and hormonal balance.
Bee Pollen/Propolis
Bee pollen has been reported to have great results in boosting immunity and
fertility. Bee propolis has been found to support healthy immune, inflammation,
and stress response in the body.
Chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutita)
This herb is a nervine and mild sedative; it may help to reduce stress, relax the
nervous system, and induce a restful state in the body.
Eluthero root and stem bark (Elueutherococcus senticosus)
Strengthens the immune system. Great for people under severe stress. This herb
helps people feel better, perform better, and recover from immune suppression
more quickly.
Fo-ti, also known as Ho Shou Wu or He Shou Wu, root (Polygonum multiflorum)
According to traditional Chinese medicine, helps to restore jing (life essence).
Supports both thyroid and adrenal function, both are extremely important and
sensitive to stress. The vine and leaf are sometimes used to aid stress, nervous
tension, and insomnia.
Lemon Balm leaf (Melissa officinalis)
Excellent nervous system support. Supports healthy stress response; lessens
depression and anxiety. Good emotional health and stress response is important
prior to conception. Not for use by people with hypothyroidism.
Linden flower and bract (Tilia platyphyllos, T.cordata)
Mildly lowers blood pressure, reduces depression, and supports nervous system
function. Great for anxiety, depression, and insomnia; very gentle and safe.
Maca root (Lepidium meyenii)
Maca is a nourishing food for the endocrine system, aiding the pituitary, adrenal,
and thyroid glands (all involved in hormonal balance.) Supportive of both immune
and stress response on the body.
Motherwort aerial parts (Leonurus cardiaca)
Famous herbalist Nicholas Culpepper 1616-1654 said, “There is no better herb to
drive away melancholy vapours from the heart, to strengthen it and make the mind
cheerful.” Supports heart health, reduces anxiety.
Schisandra, fruit and seed (Schisandra chinensis)
Adaptogen, supports healthy hormonal balance through endocrine system
support. Promotes proper immune and stress response.
Shatavari root (Asparagus racemosus)
Not only does this herb support healthy fertility, it is an immune system and
nutritive tonic. Supports overall immune system function.
- Books that have helped transform stress. I have previously gone through a lot of
stress. While I still experience stressful things in my life, I have learned from others how
to live in peace despite outside circumstances. One of the places I have learned this
peace is through books. Many books have made a huge difference in how I react to
stressful situations. - Avoid harsh checmical medications. In an effort to reduce and remove stress from
your life to achieve fertility, it is important that you try to avoid harsh chemical
medications that are prescribed to help individuals become less stressed. These
medications merely mask the stressful feelings you are experiencing and do nothing to
help the situation. Additionally, some of these medications can cause infertility
themselves or have a negative effect on your fetus if you do happen to become
pregnant. - Use Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) to help you. Trying to conceive can be
tiring both physically and mentally. It affects your spirit, mind, and body. As a result, I
would like to introduce you to a helpful and easy technique based on ancient Chinese
medicine. In theory, it is very similar to acupuncture. The theory behind this technique is
that when a person’s emotions are tightly wound up, it affects their physiological
condition. Therefore, by relieving the stress and freeing up the emotions, a change is
brought about in the physiological condition of a person, hopefully helping her to
conceive.
This technique is wonderful because it addresses both fertility and stress reduction at
the same time. EFT is also a highly effective technique at removing psychological
blocks to conception. Past traumas, memories, and beliefs about pregnancy, birth and
parenthood can all affect how you truly feel about having a baby. You may feel ready to
be a parent, but are there any hidden blocks that are stopping you from conceiving?
EFT helps you identify and resolve these blocks and move you towards having your
baby.
relax. breath. peace.
7 Steps to Get Your Body Baby Ready
Deciding to get pregnant is an exciting time in life, you have made the decision that you
are ready to bring forth new life! Even though you are mentally ready, is your body? It is
easy to get caught up in the daydreams of pregnancy and what your baby will be like,
but have you thought about what important steps can be done to improve your chances
of a healthy pregnancyand baby? Are you prepared for conception and what comes
after?
Why should you prepare for pregnancy? The body will be carrying extra weight, close to
double the blood volume, and will require a lot more energy from all parts of the body to
grow a baby and sustain pregnancy. So what can you do to get your body baby ready?
Let us share with you these simple steps for healthy pregnancy preparation.
- Learn How to Eat Better: Nourish!
Start eating better. You can do this by learning how to eat a natural fertility diet. What
you eat will not only be fuel for your body, but it will help form your baby. Choosing a
wide variety of healthy, organic whole foods is going to be best.
Here are some simple guidelines to eating for a healthy baby ready body:
Eat a lot of organic vegetables and fruits
Eat organic, grass-fed, whole-fat, raw dairy
Try to eat mostly cold water fish
Choose meat that is free range and/or grass fed and organic
Eat only grains in their whole, natural form
Eat high fiber foods with each meal
Avoid non-fermented soy foods
Avoid refined sugars or fruit juices
Drink a lot of clean water - Cleanse and Detoxify
Over time, the human body accumulates environmental toxins from car exhaust,
chemical pollution, plastics, food, and more. While the body may be able to remove
some of these, many toxins may be stored in the liver, kidneys, and fat cells. During
pregnancy and breastfeeding, the body will use fat stores to provide sustenance for the
baby, which means these toxins may go directly to baby. This is why it’s important to try
to cleanse the body of toxins prior to conception and breastfeeding.
Changing the way you eat is the first step in cleansing the body of these toxins. The
second step is fertility cleansing. Fertility cleansing prior to conception may aid the body
in quickly flushing toxins through the use of supportive herbs. This special type of
cleanse focuses on liver and fat cell detoxification, while also supporting uterine health
in preparation for implantation. The third step in cleansing brings us to exercise. - Exercise
Exercise promotes two avenues of natural detoxification: sweat and circulation. On top
of the cleansing benefits of regular exercise, pregnancy and labor require a strength
unlike other times in your life. To get your body into shape for pregnancy, women who
are trying to conceive need to exercise regularly at a moderate level, for 30 minutes a
day three times a week, with two 30-minute strength training sessions. Some days
could include one to two sessions of yoga for an hour.
Great ways to get your body toned and ready for a baby:
Brisk walking, five times a week, for 30-60 minutes
Two to three one-hour sessions of fertility yoga
Dancing
Nia, two to three times a week
Zumba, two to three times a week
Aerobics, two to three times a week
Leisurely bike riding
Light jogging
Swimming - Take a Whole Food Prenatal Vitamin
There are a variety of vital nutrients that may be missing from a person’s regular diet.
Experts agree that women who are trying to conceive should be preparing for
pregnancy by taking a multivitamin. Not all multivitamins are equal, however. We find
that the nutrients in your prenatal vitamin should come from whole foods. For the body,
the nutrients in a prenatal vitamin made from whole foods are easier to break down,
assimilate, and utilize.
Across the world, nutritional deficiencies such as lack of folic acid are still the number
one cause of preventable developmental defects in babies. A whole food prenatal
vitamin is going to ensure that you are getting required nutrients for pregnancy. This
doesn’t mean you don’t need to eat well though. A prenatal vitamin bridges the gap in
nutrition to make sure you are achieving complete nutritional levels required for
pregnancy.
- Work to Eliminate Bad Habits
Alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and drinking caffeine have all been shown to lower fertility
and are going to have to be stopped during pregnancy. Plus, they are just plain
unhealthy habits. It’s not like you don’t know this already, but still, it really would be best
to cut these out before trying for a baby. This will make it easier on you once you are
pregnant. In addition, eliminating these now may even boost your chances of
conception. Studies show that these unhealthy substances may cause hormonal
imbalance, poor stress response, and may even delay ovulation. So ditch those bad
habits as soon as you can. You will be happy you did! - See Your Gynecologist
Get a full pelvic and breast exam before trying for a baby. This will help to identify and
take care of any potential issues. It is best to know whether there are any issues before
getting pregnant; that way, they can be taken care of prior to pregnancy. It is more
difficult to treat reproductive health issues during pregnancy, and issues like infections
or STDs may be harmful to an otherwise healthy pregnancy. - Create Calm by Reducing Stress
Humans easily get caught up in the ever quickening pace of life. Have you taken time
today to create a space in which to lower your heart rate, take a deep breath, and check
in with your stress levels? If not, that is something that may greatly benefit the health of
your body each day. Physical, mental, and emotional stressors may all negatively
impact health. Stress management practices should be part of preparing the body for
pregnancy. Elevated stress levels have been shown to contribute to hormonal
imbalance through endocrine system disruption.
Pregnancy can also be stressful on the body. Having a stress management practice
prior to pregnancy will allow for you to easily check in with how the body is feeling
throughout pregnancy. A woman who has already created this habit prior to pregnancy
will be better able to continue stress management techniques during pregnancy.
Consciously make time each day to practice lowering stress. Great ways to reduce
stress include meditations, exercise, prayer, journal, yoga, getting out in nature,
counseling, and getting together with friends.