Stress Reduces Chances of Getting Pregnant by 29 Percent: Study
Chronic stress can cause infertility in women and reduce their chances of getting pregnant by 29 percent, according to a new study.
Experts from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center merged data from their past research on stress and its effect on pregnancy and found that increased presence of alpha-amylase- biomarker of stress can lead to infertility in women.
The experts observed 501 American women aged between 18 and 40 who were trying to get pregnant and followed them till conceived. These participants were a part of the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) study and reportedly did not suffer infertility issues. The trial involved measuring the levels of stress hormones like alpha- amylase and cortisol in the morning saliva samples of the subjects on first day of the study and a day after their menstrual cycle.
It was found that women who had high levels of alpha-amylase had 29 percent less chances of conceiving. These women were twice likely not able to conceive compared to those with less cortisol levels in saliva.
Courtney Denning-Johnson Lynch, study author and director of reproductive epidemiology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said in a press release, "For the first time, we've shown that this effect is potentially clinically meaningful, as it's associated with a greater than two-fold increased risk of infertility among these women."
The authors believe the study findings must motivate women who are facing difficulty in conception to keep stress at bay by regularly indulging activities like yoga, meditation and mindfulness.
Germaine Buck Louis, principal investigator of the LIFE study and director of the Division of Intramural Population Health Research at National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said, "Eliminating stressors before trying to become pregnant might shorten the time couples need to become pregnant in comparison to ignoring stress. The good news is that women most likely will know which stress reduction strategy works best for them, since a one-size-fits-all solution is not likely."
The research was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver foundation National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and is published in the journal Human Reproduction.
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