Can stress cause infertility?

It is not known through well-designed studies that stress can delay the time it takes for couples to conceive. Although until today, no study has yet directly linked stress as a cause of infertility, we widely believe that stress is associated with infertility in many ways.

Stress in and men can lead to problems with spermiogenesis and result in low sperm count, low motility and low morphology. Whereas stress in women can lead to inhibition of the hyperprolactinemia axis and lead to irregular periods or absence of periods – what we call as an anomaly leading to Amenorrhea.

Besides these main physiological bases on which the stress can affect fertility quickly, stress is also associated with lifestyle factors that can lead to infertility. This includes:

• smoking
• alcohol consumption
• excess caffeine consumption
• unhealthy diet
• high body mass index
• lack of exercise

So these are some of the other ways where lifestyle factors get associated and can influence the fertility of a couple.

Therefore, it is critical that stress is managed, and it can be managed either by taking regular exercise, pursuing a hobby and practising meditation mindfulness. Also, it is always a good idea to seek professional help if required to manage stress, especially when you’re trying to conceive, for example, you may wish to see a counsellor.