I hesitated in writing a post about how to relax while trying to get pregnant because I am probably the least qualified to discuss this.
Learning how to stop obsessing over getting pregnant is something that has not come naturally to me. The truth is, however, that stress can affect your fertility.
There is evidence that too much stress can affect:
- Implantation
- Ovulation
- Egg Quality
- Male Fertility
But let’s face it, these are stressful times. It’s hard to focus on anything other than the breaking news and the next big announcement.
Add in dealing with stress and fertility worries and you have a disaster waiting to happen.
Most of us are in a state of stress right now even if we don’t realize it.
Stress is such a constant in our lives that it has become the “norm”.
We don’t even realize how much stress can effect out ability to do anything, including conceive a healthy baby.
The good news is that there are ways to not stress about getting pregnant.
Keeping reading for ways to control your anxiety over not conceiving.
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my Disclosure for more information.
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Does Stress Really Cause Fertility?
Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to “just relax” and you will get pregnant.
Yeah, let’s face it – going on vacation doesn’t work for everyone. If you are worried about not getting pregnant, 7 days at an all-inclusive, while nice, won’t make you magically forget your worries.
The issue with infertility and stress is that it feeds off itself.
Your desire to get pregnant is so all-consuming and any kink in the road can seem like a major setback, causing even more stress.
Studies like this one from Boston IVF note that women with infertility report elevated levels of anxiety and depression, so it is clear that infertility causes stress.
What is less clear, however, is whether or not stress causes infertility.
Can stress and anxiety cause infertility?
When there’s too much stress in your life, it can affect fertility in harmful ways. This goes for both men and women.
Stress affects your hormones and, when your hormones are out of whack, it can disrupt the natural flow of life.
There are a number of things you can do to balance your hormones and boost your fertility and one of the most important is to reduce the stress in your life.
Some say that stress affects fertility because of a natural block against conceiving during an inappropriate time. This just means that if you’re dealing with too much stress, your body might be telling you that it’s not the right time to have a baby.
Stress is not just bad for your fertility, it won’t do your unborn baby any good either once you get pregnant.
If you use regular relaxation techniques to relieve your stress, you can improve your chances.
You must maintain your relaxation routine though, because if you only remain stress free for a short while, your body will eventually return to its stressed state.
Too much stress can interfere with a woman’s monthly cycle. Stress can delay ovulation even if ovulation is already approaching.
If you want to know some other causes of infertility, this infographic has a lot of information.
How Stress Affects Your Fertility
Your body may sense the stress and then stop the ovulation process, only to “try again” a few days later. People who ovulate late or have a short luteal phase may be under stress that they don’t even realize is causing their issues.
In some instances, you may not ovulate during a cycle at all.
Irregular cycles are common, but if you used to be regular and are finding that you’re now irregular, it could be because of stress.
Your doctor can help determine if the cause is stress or an underlying physical issue.
Men also need to pay close attention to their stress levels. Too much stress can affect healthy sperm levels.
How To Relax While Trying To Get Pregnant
Many people want to know how to stop worrying while trying to get pregnant. The problem is, when you are going through infertility, it is often all you can think of.
Every day you look for new symptoms or worry about going on social media and seeing yet another pregnancy announcement.
Luckily there are a few things you can do to overcome infertility stress:
Take Control
For many modern women, infertility is hard because it’s the first feeling of having absolutely no control over a situation.
We have all been taught to just “try harder” and “work more” to achieve what we want difficulty in getting pregnant can be a shock to the system.
To combat the stress and helplessness you feel, you need to take control back.
Look at what you can do to improve your fertility naturally, even if not everything works, you will regain a sense that you can change the outcome of your fertility which will help your stress levels.
Here are some ideas to get started:
The Fertility Diet that changed my life – This 90 day plan is what I used to get pregnant after 4 failed IUIs and 2 cancelled IVF cycles.
16 Fertility Herbs To Help You Get Pregnant Fast
10 Easy Ways To Naturally Boost Your Fertility
Maintain a Positive Attitude
Having a positive attitude is very important for your fertility.
Can anxiety stop you from getting pregnant? Maybe not, but stress definitely doesn’t help your fertility.
Focus on becoming the healthiest, best you that you can be and feel confident that you are doing everything in your power to get pregnant.
You might find that fertility affirmation cards help you to stay positive.
Positive thinking is important throughout your fertility journey.
It can keep you energized and is an important component to your mental health and, of course, your relationship with your spouse.
It can be tough when you run into problems, but you must have faith that everything will work out the way it’s meant to be.
You might also get inspiration from other people’s stories of dealing with the disappointment of not conceiving.
Exercise
It sounds cliche but exercise really can help to balance your stress hormones and help you feel much more relaxed about your circumstances.
Try fertility yoga. It uses specific poses to increase blood flow and improve circulation in your reproductive zone.
Fertility yoga will not only help to reduce your stress levels but it may also help you to boost your chances of getting pregnant.
Start A Journal
This isn’t for everyone, but if getting your feelings down helps you feel better, consider expressive writing.
The Boston IVF study found that both men and women benefitted from writing down their feelings during infertility.
You can keep track of your appointments and cycle while noting your moods and emotions.
My Fertility Journal is a printable PDF that you can download and print out. It contains pages for recording everything about your fertility journey.
Reduce your caffeine intake
If you overdo the caffeine then it can make you even more stressed in the long run.
Although you don’t have to give up caffeine completely for your fertility, stress can affect your egg quality and caffeine does not help.
You can read more about the link between Fertility And Caffeine here.
FREE 21 Day to Calm Your Mind Challenge
If you want to work on your stress, I have a free 21 day challenge for you.
Just sign up below and download the free PDF challenge. It’s a 21 day journal to work through your stresses and anxieties.
FREE Fertility Resources (Ebooks, Checklists and more)
Click the links to instantly download the following useful resources, at no cost!
FREE Ebook: How to Improve Your Egg Health
FREE Report: How To Improve Sperm Health
Report: Preventing Miscarriages
FREE Ebook: Restore Fertility & Get Pregnant Naturally
Free Checklist for IVF
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