Less Stress May Up Pregnancy Odds
Researchers say they have evidence that some women may be able to improve their chances of getting pregnant by reducing stress.
The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay explained Wednesday that many factors, affecting both men and women, can cause fertility problems. It's long been thought that the stress of daily life is related to infertility.
And, Senay reported, research presented at an international fertility conference in Prague shows that psychotherapy techniques may improve the chances of conceiving a child by managing and reducing stress in women with a condition known as amenorrhea, in which a woman's monthly periods are interrupted and ovulation doesn't always occur. Amenorrhea is thought to be caused by poor nutrition and over-exercising.
Preliminary research from a small study at Emory University in Atlanta showed that a combination of stress management therapy and diet and exercise coaching restored fertility in 80 percent of the women who took part, compared to 25 percent in a control group.
The researchers measured stress by monitoring levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the women. The psychotherapy and behavioral therapy appeared to reduce the levels of cortisol and restore ovulation. The researchers plan a bigger study to confirm the results.
The researchers say this study underlines the contribution lifestyle factors play in fertility.
Failure to ovulate, Senay continued, is thought to be the result of too much energy being used up by excessive exercise and poor nutrition. But the researchers in this study theorize that dieting and excessive exercise might actually be a way of trying to cope with underlying stress, especially in women who aren't ovulating.
If you are having trouble conceiving a child, talk to your doctor to get a diagnosis, Senay urged. There are many causes of infertility and many treatments available that have helped many couples. Fertility drugs and in vitro fertilization can be very effective.
The hope, Senay observed, is that psychotherapy and behavior modification techniques might eventually play a bigger role, alongside or as an alternative to fertility drugs and in vitro fertilization.
On a lighter note, research from Israel that was also presented at the Prague conference showed that women who were entertained by a doctor clowning around had a better chance of conceiving by in vitro fertilization.
A trained mime artist who was also a doctor entertained women for 10 or 15 minutes. The women had a better chance of conceiving compared to those who weren't entertained. Perhaps, Senay suggested, that's another example of how reducing the stress of infertility can help fight infertility.