Medical studies show that it is difficult to have children in couples with high stress levels. The devastating effects of stress are more pronounced in women. For example, we know that 70% of women in countries that participated in World War II stopped menstruating while the war was going on. Increased sympathetic activity in the brain in women under stress can disrupt the functioning of reproductive hormones, preventing ovulation and conception.

In men, increased stress adversely affects reproduction by disrupting the sperm count, motile sperm rate, and the morphology, that is, the type of sperm.

Even in couples who have had children before, extreme stress makes it difficult to conceive again.
As the stress level of couples in IVF treatment increases, the success of achieving pregnancy decreases. In women who are overly anxious on the day of egg collection, the quality of the collected eggs deteriorates and of course the chance of conceiving decreases.

If you are trying to have a child and suffer from the following symptoms, you are under uncontrolled stress and need psychological support:

  • Overeating
  • Don’t Sleep Too Much
  • Angerness
  • Crying Attacks
  • Addictive Behaviors (Such As Smoking Or Junk Food Addiction, Cell Phone Addiction)
  • Feeling Of Hatred
  • Burning İn The Stomach, Discomfort
  • Tension İn The Neck
  • Chronic Constipation And Diarrhea

Interestingly, infertility treatments after psychological support are more successful in anxious couples.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying be stress free. This is not possible. From our life in the womb to our last breath, stress is an inseparable part of our life, a kind of shadow.

But the goal should be: To keep stress under control before it reaches unbearable levels! What is harmful is not the stress itself, but its excessive size, too large to be removed.

For this reason, if the couples undergoing treatment have the above-mentioned symptoms, they should receive psychological support along with the treatment. Apart from psychological support, reducing anxiety through alternative ways such as prayer, Chinese medicine (acupuncture), hypnosis and meditation will increase the success of treatment.

I wish you all healthy days.

Prof. Dr. Yavuz ŞİMŞEK