Maxine L. James STRESS AND FERTILITY ISSUES

 “Your just too tired.”  “Just relax and it’ll happen.”  “You’ve got to calm down and let nature take its course.”

COULD INFERTILITY BE STRESS RELATED?

 Allen Morgan, MD of Shore Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Lakewood, NJ-  Infertility 20 yrs. Ago was between 10%-20%  Infertility today is up to 40%

 Not just women who can carry fertility issues, Men are just as prone to having problems with fertility as well.  “1/3 of all cases of infertility involve problems solely with the male partner.”  So what factors are causing this and what can we do to increase the chances of conception?

 “Trying too hard” may increase chances of infertility by 30%.  40% of women with fertility problems were clinically anxious or depressed prior to being treated for infertility.  “Biological clock is ticking.”  Stress at work, with spouse/significant other, or other environmental factors.  May lead to increase in alcohol, drug, or tobacco consumption, which also increases infertility. POSSIBLE STRESSORS: WOMEN

 Excessive smoking- significantly decreases sperm count  Chronic alcohol abuse  Tight underwear/pants- increase in temperature decreases sperm production  Steroid use  Excessive Stress! POSSIBLE STRESSORS: MEN

 As stress levels increase, the likely hood of taking on alternative reproduction techniques decreases as well.  When a natural conception doesn’t work, most couples will seek infertility care such as In Vitro Fertilization.

IN VITRO FERTILIZATION

 According to research published in Fertilization and Sterility in 2005, stress can still play a big part whether IVF treatments are successful or not.  After questionnaires were administered based on women’s stress levels, those who had higher levels of stress were 20% less likely to find success even in In Vitro Fertilization.  It was actually through each step of the process that the levels of stress increased even more, resulting in an unsuccessful embryo, due to nervousness. IN VITRO FERTILIZATION: CONT.

 For many women, Acupuncture plays a key role in decreasing stress levels  42.5% increase in pregnancy rate vs. 26.3% who didn’t practice acupuncture  Massage Therapy, guided imagery, foot reflexology  Engage in more times of intimacy with partner.  Meditation  Adequate amount of sleep  Progressive muscle relaxation OVERCOMING INFERTILITY STRESS

FERTILITY SUCCESS!

 Bouchez, Colette. Stress and Fertility. Received from stress  Gelman, Lauren. Health 101: Stress and Fertility. Received conditions-stress-and-fertility conditions-stress-and-fertility  In Vitro Fertilization. (2007, May). Received from  Mather, Mark. Fact Sheet: The Decline in U.S. Fertility. Received fromhttp:// data-sheet/fact-sheet-us-population.aspxhttp:// data-sheet/fact-sheet-us-population.aspx  What causes Male Infertility? Received from akingBabies/causemal.htm REFERENCES