There has been speculation for long whether stress causes infertility or vice versa. A new research conducted in the United States has stated that stress causes infertility in women. Infertility is a term used to explain the inability of a woman to conceive after two years of constant efforts whereas stress is the most overused word in today’s world. We can say that both stress and infertility are co-related terms.
Women with high levels of stress were 29 per cent less likely to get pregnant each month than those women with lower levels, the researchers found.
An estimated one in seven couple in India have fertility problems and mostly there is no known medical explanation. It is believed that 10 per cent of the general population suffers from some form of infertility. India has a population of over 1.2 billion and the number of people suffering from infertility is huge.
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Of every 100 couples reporting to fertility clinics, 40 per cent are cases of male infertility, 50 per cent are of women, and the remaining 10 per cent of both partners being infertile.
Diagnosed with infertility, many couples blame their destiny. They become stressed. Women with prolonged and hectic jobs are mostly at risk. Swati Mishra (name changed), 32 working with an MNC, experienced her first miscarriage due to stress. She was extremely stressed out when she first came to us for the counselling sessions, she has also undergone IVF treatment at our centre but after a few sessions we got to know that it is her work stress to blame as she was unable to complete her target.
Women are often found to be more stressed than men. Trying to get pregnant adds more pressure on already stressed women. Thanks to technological innovation, we have found the treatment for infertility through IVF or IUI. Today women as well as men are also trying stress management techniques to overcome this problem.
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On the other hand, men who work in night shifts are affected more with infertility as compared to men working in morning shifts. Their biological clock is badly disturbed.
They usually sleep during the day and to keep themselves awake, they often smoke, drink caffeine which damages the system further. The stress at work place and sitting for long hours are also contributing to reduction in the sperm count.
Factors contributing to stress which causes infertility are marital disturbance, job or business stress, financial losses, personal injury or illness, death of a close family member and late marriage. Numerous methods to de-stress are available today including learning relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation and stress management strategies, going for a vacation and deep breathing exercises.