As most of us are aware, fertility issues are becoming more and more common in today’s world. Many things contribute to this rise – lifestyle changes, older parents, hormonal problems, obesity, low body weight, bad nutrition and so on. Some of these can be rectified if you make a conscious effort. Many of them require medical intervention. One very important cause that not only delays your pregnancy but can also harm your overall mental as well as physical health is “Stress”.
Does Stress Reduce Your Chances Of Getting Pregnant?
Stress is a tricky problem to solve. If you already have a stressed lifestyle, it will hamper your chances of getting pregnant. You become anxious when you are not getting pregnant despite trying. This anxiety will increase your stress further and so on. It soon becomes a vicious cycle.
Symptoms That Show You Are Stressed
If you lead an unhealthy lifestyle for long, it might affect your fertility. Some of the symptoms that show that you are too stressed out are:
- Insomnia or sleeping too much
- Consuming alcoholic drinks
- Excessive smoking
- Loss of interest in sex. Did you know there are foods that can take your sex life away?
- Drinking lot of caffeine like tea or coffee
- Having too much of junk food
- Not exercising at all or pushing yourself to exercise too hard
- Indulging in overeating that can lead to obesity. Obesity in turn becomes a hindrance in conceiving
- Dieting too hard to the extent of getting anorexic. This will disturb your menstrual cycle leading to missed ovulation. No ovulation means that you cannot get pregnant
All these above mentioned factors can reduce your possibility of getting pregnant
5 Ways To Reduce Stress And Increase Chances Of Pregnancy
Here are five practical ways in which you can reduce stress and increase your chances of getting pregnant:
- Change your attitude: This is not an easy step. But it is the most important one. While there are many things you can do to reduce stress, nothing will help unless you have a positive attitude towards life. If you are sad, grieve and cry it out. Stop being pessimistic and remember every problem has a solution. Do not be overtly stressed when you get your periods every month. Be realistic – it takes time. See the positive side of everything. Believe in yourself and know that when the time is right, things will fall into place
- Educate yourself about infertility, plan better: When you do not know much about something, it can intimidate and stress you out. So read up about infertility. Understand in detail the challenges you and your partner are facing in getting pregnant. Talk to a doctor about the same. Learn how to treat or remove those challenges. Once you know how to plan you can decide on various things you are going to do to ensure that you get pregnant. All these are positive ways to deal with the problem. This way, you are part of the solution, not the problem
- Try relaxation techniques: Many westerners consider India as the destination for inner peace and tranquility. If only they knew how stressed we are! Turn to relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation and breathing exercises all these are known to calm you and help you to better deal with stress and strain in your life. Yoga is known to reduce the production of the stress hormone, and some of the postures are even known to improve the production of reproductive hormones and boost fertility
- Exercise: If you know someone who exercises regularly, they will be able to tell you how happy and relaxed they feel after a workout. This is because exercise triggers the production of the “feel good” hormone called endorphins, which are otherwise termed as “happy hormones”. That is right. It will make you happy. Exercise will also make you fit and a fitter body will also help you get pregnant faster. So what are you waiting for? Find your shoes and sign up for something that interests you – running, zumba, kick boxing, pilates or aerobics
- Team up with your partner: You are in this with your partner. It is important to communicate your feelings to your partner and listen to him. Please be aware that you and your partner will not have the same attitude towards infertility. It might be affecting you more (or less); so do not be irritated if your partner does not understand your emotions. What is important is to know that you both are there for each other and will support each other through this. It might be a good idea to take a vacation together. It might also be good to do some things that you both enjoy like cooking meals together, going out on a date, going for a night walk and so on. The happiness you derive from this will help you beat stress. You can together take professional help like counselling to deal with stress, depression, apprehensions etc
The above steps will help you deal with stress in a better way and also eradicate it from your lives. If you have no other medical conditions, a stress free lifestyle will help you in getting pregnant. A stress-free life will also make your pregnancy period healthier and more enjoyable. It will make you a happy person. So, begin your journey towards happiness today. Stop worrying and start living.
