3 Ways Stress Impacts Fertility
Stress is a commonly overlooked area that has a major effect on fertility. If you’ve simply been told to reduce stress, or that your issues are “all in your head”, that’s not what I’m saying here. But how we react and respond to stress does significantly impact our hormones, and that’s not something we want to ignore. Let’s look at some of the internal mechanisms involved in the stress response and how this affects your ability to get and stay pregnant.
The Fight, Flight or Freeze Response
First, when we’re dealing with a stressor, the “fight, flight or freeze” response kicks in by our sympathetic nervous system. This puts the body on high alert to deal with incoming stressors. Blood, oxygen and nutrients are shunted towards the heart, muscles and brain to be able to make quick, life-saving decisions and take action to get out of danger.
The problem is that most people are not dealing with real danger, but our brain and bodies think we are.
When chronically stuck in the sympathetic nervous system, we cannot properly digest food, regulate our breathing or heart rate, nourish our bodies or prime the body for a baby.
When you’re running away from a preverbal tiger, that’s not exactly optimal baby-making time, is it?
Three things happen when we’re under chronic or acute stress that impact fertility:
#1 - The body prioritizes safety over everything
During fight-or-flight, blood, oxygen and nutrients are shunted away from non-essential organs, such as the digestive and reproductive organs, and brought towards the heart, muscles and brain for quick action. These areas are always our body’s #1 priority when it thinks we’re in danger and need to take action. Being under constant stress, excessively worrying and never taking the time to slow down can not only leave us exhausted, but leave our reproductive organs depleted, malnourished and functioning sub-optimally.
#2 - Survival wins over reproduction
One of the first things that gets thrown to the side when we’re under stress is the ability to make a baby. This is actually a really smart survival mechanism, because if there are things threatening a woman’s survival, the body knows to hold off on creating another human she’ll need to care for and nurture until things have settled down. The body always prioritizes survival over reproduction.
#3 - Stress hormones override baby-making hormones
The adrenal glands prioritize the production of cortisol, the main stress hormone, in place of progesterone production. The issue is that progesterone is a KEY player in the ability to both get pregnant and maintain a healthy pregnancy. Cortisol also interferes with thyroid hormone production, which is another important area that needs support when it comes to addressing fertility.
Did I Imagine That?
Here’s the thing: your brain doesn’t know the difference between a stressor that is real or imagined.
If you start your day worried about all the cares and responsibilities of the day, jump into taking care of everyone else, rushing out the door with only coffee in your system, skipping meals, forgetting to breathe, not prioritizing sleep and taking on a million projects… All that stress can be impacting your fertility.
You must begin slowing down, prioritizing stress-reduction and work on balancing your hormones with the right foods and nutrients if a healthy pregnancy is your goal.
Additionally, there are physical and chemical stressors, such as gut dysbiosis and toxins that disrupt our hormones, which we’ll talk about another time.
How to begin supporting your stress response to optimize fertility:
Assess your mind and thought life. Is it supporting you or creating more stress?
Nourish your body with proper nutrition, hydration and eat to balance your blood sugar.
Opt for more moderate exercise instead of intense spin or hour-long HIIT classes.
Support your nervous system and adrenal glands with targeted supplementation and lifestyle practices.
Consider getting a holistic hormone panel done to assess your stress and sex hormones.
Use stress-reduction tools such as meditation, therapy, tapping, detox baths, saunas and red light therapy.
Address gut dysbiosis and support your liver.
Keep in mind that not all stress is bad stress! There are good types of stressors, but it’s essential that we don’t let stress spiral out of control.
Ready to get real answers and take a deeper look into your hormone levels? Contact us today to have your hormones assessed.
