Stress or Fertility
The human body can’t produce stress hormones and fertility hormones at the same time – it’s one or the other. Your body prioritises which hormones to produce based on feedback from your nervous system. So if you’re stressed or anxious, your body is too busy making stress hormones to make fertility hormones, which is why your fertility declines when you are stressed or anxious.
The good news is that when you consciously focus on pleasure, any kind of pleasure, you’ll stop producing stress hormones and start producing feel-good hormones and fertility hormones. So focusing on pleasure not only makes you feel better and less stressed, it also improves your fertility.
The Importance of Stress Management
Stress management is very important when trying to conceive because of the direct connection between stress and reproductive health. Although stress is rarely the sole cause of fertility issues, its impact on the reproductive system and fertility should not be underestimated. Here are some reasons why stress management is important when trying to conceive:
- Hormone Balance: Chronic stress can disrupt the balance of reproductive hormones, affecting the menstrual cycle and ovulation. Elevated stress hormones, such as cortisol, may interfere with the normal functioning of the reproductive system.
- Menstrual Disorders: Women experiencing high levels of stress may be more prone to menstrual issues, including amenorrhea (absence of periods) or oligomenorrhea (infrequent periods).
- Ovulation: Stress can potentially disrupt ovulatory function in women, leading to irregular menstrual cycles and reducing the chances of conception.
- Sperm Quality: Stress may negatively impact sperm quality and quantity in men. Elevated stress levels can affect sperm production, motility and DNA quality, potentially reducing fertility.
- Sexual Health: Stress can affect sexual desire and intimacy, potentially leading to decreased frequency of sexual activity, which is essential for conception.
- Fertility Treatments: For couples undergoing fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), managing stress is associated with higher success rates. Stress reduction techniques may positively influence the outcome of fertility treatments.
- Psychological Wellbeing: The emotional toll of infertility and the pressure associated with trying to conceive can contribute to heightened stress levels. Managing stress is crucial for maintaining psychological well-being and resilience throughout the fertility journey.
- Quality of Life: Stress management contributes to an overall improved quality of life. Focusing on mental and emotional wellbeing enhances the ability to cope with challenges, fostering a positive outlook during the conception process.
Ways To Manage Stress When Trying To Conceive
The following approaches can be used to manage stress when you are trying to conceive:
- Mindfulness & Guided Meditations: Practices that promote mindfulness and meditation can help reduce stress levels.
- Regular Exercise: Engaging in regular physical activity is known to have positive effects on both mental and reproductive health. It can be as simple as taking a 30 minute walk each lunchtime instead of just sitting at your desk.
- Healthy Lifestyle Choices: Adopting a balanced diet, getting adequate rest, relataxtion and sleep, and minimising your caffeine and alcohol intake contribute.
- Counselling and Support Groups: Seeking professional counselling or participating in support groups can provide emotional support and coping strategies.
Mindfulness Practice
Make it a regular practice to move your awareness down into your reproductive area, and simply be with it. Sense any tightness or discomfort that may be present, and feel into it compassionately. Send love and gratitude to your womb and your ovaries. Think and feel positively about your fertility journey, and have faith that success is on its way. Reassure any parts of yourself that have doubts, or feel disillusioned, anxious or depressed.
Remember that your body knows how to get pregnant – it’s just out of balance. Developing a loving relationship with your reproductive system, and working synergistically with it to restore harmony will encourage. Ideally, do this simple 5-minute mindfulness practice when you wake up in the morning, and when you get into bed each night.
Guided Meditations
Guided meditations are a form of mindfulness practice where individuals listen to a trained guide or meditation teacher who provides verbal instructions to help navigate a state of relaxation and focus. For those trying to conceive, guided meditations offer several benefits:
- Relaxation Response: Guided meditations stimulate the relaxation response, promoting physical, emotional and mental calmness. The relaxation response counteracts the physiological effects of stress and anxiety, which is essential for overall health, wellbeing and fertility.
- Mind-Body Connection: Guided meditations develop the mind-body connection through awareness of the body’s sensations, emotions and thoughts. For those trying to conceive, guided meditations offer a way to establish a deeper mind-body connection specific to fertility, fostering a positive mental environment for conception.
- Enhanced Mindfulness: Mindfulness, a key component of guided meditation, encourages being present in the moment. This practice can reduce anxiety about the future, creating a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
- Positive Visualisation: Guided meditations often include elements of positive visualisation, allowing individuals to envision positive outcomes. This can contribute to a more optimistic mindset during the fertility journey.
- Emotional Resilience: Facing fertility challenges can be emotionally taxing. Guided meditations provide tools to build emotional resilience, helping individuals cope with the emotional ups and downs associated with fertility struggles.
- Coping Mechanism: Learning to use guided meditations as a regular coping mechanism equips individuals with a valuable tool for managing stress, both during the fertility journey and in daily life.
Guided meditations not only help to reduce the mental, emotional and physical stresses when trying to conceive, they can also actively enhance your fertility by deepened your connection with your body, increasing positivity and visualising success.
Fertility Breathing Exercises
Breathing isn’t just an automatic life sustaining bodily function that we all take for granted. The breath can also be consciously controlled to enhance our wellbeing in various ways. Below are three simple breathing techniques that can support you in various ways on your fertility journey. All three should be conducted mindfully.
Calming 4-6-8 Breathing can help to reduce stress and anxiety.
- Preparation: Make yourself comfortable (sitting or lying down) and close your eyes.
- In-breath: Take a deep breath in through your nose for a count of 4 seconds.
- Hold: Hold your breath for a count of 6 seconds.
- Out-breath: Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth for a count of 8 seconds.
- Continuation: Repeat this cycle 5 times initially, and gradually work up to 10 cycles.
Energising Bellows Breathing is not suitable if you have high blood pressure or a respiratory condition.
- Preparation: Sit or stand with a straight and upright spine.
- In-breath: Inhale quickly and forcefully through your nose to fill your lungs completely.
- Out-breath: Exhale quickly and forcefully through your nose to empty your lungs.
- Continuation: Repeat for 1 to 2 minutes. You can gradually increase the duration as you become more comfortable doing it.
Pelvic Stimulation Breathing cultivates sexual energy and improves blood flow in the pelvic area to enhance fertility. It involves smooth cyclic breathing, contracting your pelvic floor muscles (the ones you use to stop urination midstream), and visualising energy flowing through your body.
- Preparation: Make yourself comfortable (sitting, standing or lying down).
- In-Breath: As you inhale, contract your pelvic floor muscles and imagine drawing energy up through your perineum (between the genitals and anus) to your navel.
- Out-Breath: As you exhale, release your pelvic floor muscles and imagine the energy flowing down from your navel to your genitals. Relax and release any tension.
- Continuation: Repeat for 2 or 3 minutes initially, and gradually extending the practice over time.
Remember that individual experiences with these exercises may vary. If you have specific health concerns or breathing-related conditions, check with your doctor before incorporating these exercises into your routine.
Connselling For Stress Management
Counselling for stress management involves a therapeutic process where individuals work with a trained counselor or therapist to explore, understand, and address sources of stress in their lives. This form of support is valuable for managing stress, especially in the context of various life challenges, including those related to fertility. Here are key aspects of counselling for stress management:
- Safe & Confidential Space: Counselling provides a confidential and non-judgmental space for individuals to openly discuss their concerns, fears, and stressors.
- Identifying Stressors: Through dialogue, individuals can identify and articulate specific stressors, gaining clarity on the root causes of their stress.
- Emotional Support: A counsellor offers emotional support, validating the individual’s experiences and providing empathy. This support can be particularly crucial during challenging times such as fertility struggles.
- Coping Strategies: Counsellors work collaboratively with individuals to develop effective coping strategies. These strategies may include mindfulness techniques, cognitive-behavioral approaches, and stress-reducing activities.
- Behaviour Changes: Counselling helps individuals explore and implement behavioral changes to manage stress. This may involve setting realistic goals, establishing healthier routines, and improving communication skills.
- Reframing involves changing the way an individual perceives and interprets their situation. The goal is to shift from a negative mindset to a more positive one, by seeing things from a different perspective, usually in a more constructive light.
- Skill Building: Counselling sessions may focus on building resilience and emotional intelligence, equipping individuals with skills to navigate life’s challenges more effectively.
- Communication Strategies: For couples experiencing stress related to fertility issues, counselling can improve communication and mutual understanding, fostering a supportive environment.
- Exploring Emotions: Counselling allows individuals to explore and process their emotions, including grief, frustration, and anxiety, providing a healthy outlet for expressing and understanding these feelings.
- Goal Setting: Collaboratively setting and working towards achievable goals helps individuals regain a sense of control over their lives and contributes to stress reduction.
- Mindfulness and Relaxation: Incorporating mindfulness and relaxation techniques into counselling sessions can promote a sense of calm and help individuals manage stress on a day-to-day basis.
- Long-Term Strategies: Counselling often involves developing long-term strategies for maintaining mental and emotional wellbeing, even beyond the immediate stressors.
Counselling for stress management is a dynamic and personalised process tailored to the unique needs of each individual or couple. Whether facing fertility challenges or other life stressors, seeking support through counselling can be a proactive step towards building resilience and fostering a healthier, more balanced life.