Does High Stress Really Impact Fertility?
The fertility journey can be stressful (as you may know already), especially if you’re including IVF or IUI in your efforts. It’s a lot of doctor’s appointments, a lot of tests, a lot of hurry-up-and-wait.
And I understand that it’s a bit annoying for people to tell you to “just relax” and that will help you get pregnant.
While “just relaxing” is not that simple, there’s research that shows that women with high levels of stress took 29% longer to conceive.
And from a biological standpoint, the body knows that periods of intense stress are not ideal times to carry a child.
How Can Acupuncture Help?
Acupuncture has been shown to reduce stress and promote relaxation by stimulating the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals. Check out this clinical study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15135942/]
It helps shift the body from a sympathetic nervous system state (“fight or flight”) into parasympathetic (“rest and digest”).
By helping you manage stress more effectively, acupuncture can support hormone balance. Over time, as the body relaxes and feels safe for longer periods in rest and digest, it may contribute to improved fertility.
Of course, stress is only one factor in the complex math of fertility. But it makes sense to try to reduce stress if it can give a boost to your fertility efforts.
I think about it like this:
The bodies of people who live in a constant state of “fight or flight” have a hard time healing or functioning optimally no matter their goal.
Whether we’re trying to improve chronic pain, reduce digestive symptoms, or get pregnant, each of these is harder when a person never feels relaxed, never slows down, and constantly feels stressed or anxious.
The goal is to create optimal conditions. (“Optimal” within reason, of course. Perfection is not the goal.). And learning to manage stress is one piece of the puzzle.
Of course, acupuncture isn’t the only thing that can help reduce stress. We also recommend yoga, walking, journaling, prayer, creative outlets (drawing, painting, etc.), breathing exercises, or meditation for our patients.
Whatever activities help you release mental and/or muscle tension and feel at peace – lean into those!
And as you know from previous blog posts, acupuncture can help improve fertility in a number of ways, not just stress reduction:
Balancing hormones
Improving blood flow to the reproductive organs
Regulating the menstrual cycle
Reducing inflammation
We would love to help you on your fertility journey. Traditional Chinese Medicine has so much wisdom to share regarding getting and remaining pregnant, as well as postpartum care. Click the button below to book now!