How Anxiety Affect’s Women’s Fertility

The medical community has gone back and forth regarding whether emotional states affect a woman’s ability to conceive. Researching this issue can be confusing, one source will say that emotional state or stress does not affect fertility and another says that it does. More recent studies have found that anxious women have reduced blood flow to their uterus and ovaries, which can cause a decrease in viable eggs produced by the ovaries and a decrease in the quality of the uterine lining, making it less likely for a fertilized egg to implant into the uterine lining. Studies further suggest that stress and anxiety negatively impact a fetus. Comparing women with treated and untreated anxiety during pregnancy, & after childbirth those mother’s with untreated anxiety had smaller babies. That should be enough to convince all you women thinking of getting pregnant to practice good stress and anxiety management. Most of the suggestions in “Holistic Methods for Decreasing Stress and Anxiety” are appropriate for women trying to get pregnant or women already pregnant. However, there are some additional tips that aid conception and healthy pregnancies if you are anxious or stressed. There is an acupuncture protocol that is specific to increasing ovarian and uterine blood flow. Many fertility specialists now suggest or even insist on acupuncture while trying to conceive. Some doctor’s prescribe blood thinners in small amounts (baby aspirin, red clover herb) to increase blood flow for conception and implantation. Further, there are yoga and Qi Gong movement series that destresses, calm, and increase blood flow to the ovaries and uterus. Check out “Fertility Yoga” and Randine’s Lewis’ “Qi Gong for Fertility.” (on VHS and DVD). There are also local fertility yoga classes.