Fertility problems are more common than you think, with one in seven couples having difficulty conceiving.
Teasing out the reasons why some couples have no problems conceiving, and others have much more trouble, can be a difficult process.
However, many couples overlook the impact of stress on their chances of conception.
Navigating fertility troubles themselves are stressful as it is, but studies have shown that experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression to begin with can be highly detrimental to your pre-pregnancy health.
Let’s look at the power stress can have on your chances of getting pregnant.
The Problem with Stress
When we experience anxiety, our nervous system releases stress hormones, leading to increased heart rate, high blood pressure, and shallow breathing.
Stress can manifest itself in many ways, of course, so we can also experience things like sadness, insomnia, and headaches.
There’s a fight or flight response that happens when we experience stress, and any system in our body that isn’t necessary for survival shuts down – including our reproductive systems.
Ever wondered why your menstrual period is late when you’re stressed? That’s why.
It’s a vicious cycle, though, as linking stress and anxiety with infertility can then make you more stressed and more worried about conceiving!
Your body is incredibly clever; it works out that if you’re stressed, it probably isn’t the best time for you to bring a baby into the world.
With this in mind, it’s so important to lower your stress levels if you’re trying to conceive.
What can we do?
You can manage stress holistically though lifestyle changes like regular exercise, a healthy diet, and talking therapies.
Yoga has been found to majorly reduce stress in women: particularly the child’s pose, happy baby, and legs up the wall.
Getting a good night’s sleep is important, so aim for 8 hours.
Try cutting back on your alcohol consumption, too. While it may seem like alcohol helps to alleviate your stress levels, it’s actually been proven to do the opposite.
When will I notice a difference?
As your stress hormone levels fall, your body returns to its normal hormonal balance and your reproductive health will be largely restored.
From then, it shouldn’t be long until you fall pregnant – fingers crossed!
One of the best ways to track your conception progress is by investing in an ovulation tracker.
Ovulation trackers measure the levels of the luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine; a rise in LH levels signals the ovary to release an egg.
An ovulation tracker will tell you when your levels reach a certain threshold, so you can be safe in the knowledge that ovulation will occur within the next 12 to 36 hours.
To find out more, visit Mylo’s website and read all about their myLotus fertility and ovulation tracker.
Their personalised tracker gives 99% accurate, lab-standard test results.
The tracker is also designed to help women with difficult menstrual cycle issues like irregular periods, PCOS, or anovulatory cycles. Good luck!