A myth that has persisted for decades is that stress is a source of infertility and unsuccessful fertility treatment. Although there has been no consistent support of this supposition, myths about stress and infertility perpetuate. Let’s take a look at a couple of the most common myths and discuss the truth about stress and infertility.
3 Myths and Facts about Stress and Infertility
Myth: “Just relax and it will happen.” Individuals and couples experiencing infertility frequently hear this advice from well-intentioned family and friends. It’s often followed-up by a story about another couple they know who was having difficulty conceiving, took a vacation, and got pregnant. The implication is that stress is the cause of your infertility and unsuccessful treatment cycles.
Fact: There is no body of evidence that indicates that a woman’s level of stress affects her pregnancy rate. A recent and comprehensive review of the literature concluded that researchers who carried out rigorous and well-designed studies found no significant relationship between stress and infertility or fertility treatment outcomes. Women have always conceived during times of great stress, for example, during periods of war. Infertility is a disease. The levels of stress experienced by individuals diagnosed with infertility have been found to be similar to that of individuals diagnosed with other chronic illnesses, such as cancer, hypertension, and HIV. Relaxation is no more a cure for infertility than it is a cure for cancer.
Myth: “If you adopt you’ll get pregnant.” This is the idea that if you stop trying to conceive and instead pursue adoption, you’ll alleviate most of the stress in your life. And since stress is the source of your fertility problem, you’ll now be able to conceive and give birth. Those who espouse this myth also spout stories of couples who conceived following adopting one or more children.
Fact: Research consistently fails to demonstrate a relationship between adoption and pregnancy. One particularly rigorous study followed up with 817 fertility patients over the course of 5 years. Of the 48 women in this study who adopted a child, only one spontaneously conceived after adopting. So while it is not impossible, pregnancy after adoption is certainly not probable. In addition, the adoption process can be accompanied by its own emotional and financial stress, as well as a significant waiting period. Finally, this myth can be hurtful to adoptive parents as it implies adopting a child is just a path to obtaining the child they really want.
Myth: “You’re so stressed from IVF, if you stop treatment you’ll get pregnant.” This is another version of the belief that stress is the source of infertility.
Fact: Multiple long-term studies have found that following the cessation of IVF treatment, the rates of spontaneous pregnancy and a live birth ranged from 11 to 24 percent. However, it’s important to remember that those women who became pregnant and gave birth tended to be younger, experienced a shorter duration of infertility, and had a less severe fertility diagnosis. It is accepted that IVF treatment can be experienced as stressful, but numerous reviews of the literature have found no relationship between stress levels and IVF outcomes.
The Relationship between Stress and Infertility
Infertility is inherently stressful. Most individuals are used to planning their lives. They may believe that if they work hard at something, they can achieve it. So when it’s hard to get pregnant, they feel as if they don’t have control of their bodies or of their goal of becoming parents. With infertility, no matter how hard you work, it may not be possible to have a baby without help.
Infertility tests and treatments can be physically, emotionally, and financially stressful. Infertility can cause strain in a relationship, which increases stress levels. Individuals may have many doctor appointments for infertility treatment, which can cause them to miss work or other activities. All of these items can add up and, for many, stress is a consequence of fertility challenges and treatment.
Decreasing stress may not increase pregnancy rates or treatment success, but it may improve feelings of well-being and quality of life as you continue on your journey to create or expand your family.
Tips for reducing stress
- Talk with your partner.
- Realize you’re not alone. Identify sources of support you can rely on. This may include friends and co-workers who have experienced infertility. Shady Grove Fertility offers resources for our patients such as online communities, free support groups, and articles.
- Breathe. Use relaxation exercises, for example, breathing techniques, mindfulness, and guided imagery to help you feel better emotionally and physiologically.
- Exercise. This is one of the best ways to alleviate stress, but consult your doctor about maintaining your regular exercise routine during treatment.
- Seek humor. Humor is a great tool to reduce feelings of stress. Watch comedy films and TV shows, read a humorous book, or download your favorite standup segments.
- Establish a medical treatment plan with your doctor that both you and your partner are comfortable.
- Prepare a response. Strategize how you or you and your partner want to reply and come up with a few snappy comeback lines for the next time someone says to you “Just relax and it will happen.”
- Consider counseling to help you cope with and learn specific tools to reduce your stress. Shady Grove Fertility’s Psychological Support Services team is a group of highly skilled and trained licensed mental health professionals with an expertise in infertility counseling.
To schedule an appointment with Shady Grove Fertility’s Psychological Support Services team, please contact Sharon Covington at 301-279-9030 or [email protected].
To schedule an appointment with one of our reproductive endocrinologists, please call our New Patient Center at 1-877-971-7755 to speak with one of our New Patient Liaisons.
About the Author:
Dr. Erica Mindes is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist on the Counseling Staff atShady Grove Fertility, and with the practice of Covington & Hafkin and Associates, seeing patients at offices in Northern Virginia and Richmond. She has conducted research and written on the psychological responses to infertility and infertility treatment, and recently co-authored the chapter, “Counseling Known Participants in Third-Party Reproduction” for Fertility Counseling: Clinical Guide and Case Studies. Dr. Mindes is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Mental Health Professional Group (MHPG) and serves on the MHPG Executive Committee.
References:
Lawson, A.K. (2016). Psychological stress and fertility. In: Stevenson, E.L. & Hershberger, P.E. (Eds.), Fertility and Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART): Theory, Research, Policy, and Practice for Health Care Practitioners. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, LLC.
Pinborg, A., Hougaard, C. O., Nyboe Anderson, A., Molbo, D., & Schmidt, L. (2009). Prospective longitudinal cohort study on cumulative 5-year delivery and adoption rates among 1338 couples initiating infertility treatment. Human Reproduction, 24, 991–999.
Troude, P., Bailly, E., Guibert, J., Bouyer, J., de la Rochebrochard, E., & Group, D. (2012). Spontaneous pregnancies among couples previously treated by in vitro fertilization. Fertility and Sterility, 98, 63–68.
Wischmann, Tewes H. (2003). Psychogenic Infertility – Myths and Facts. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 20, 485–494.
