Stress Lowers Chance of Conceiving: Study

A woman trying to get pregnant should try to relax first as a new study has revealed that high level of stress decreases the chance of conceiving. Lead author Courtney Denning- Johnson Lynch, director of reproductive epidemiology at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said, “Blocked tubes or ovulation problems or the quality of the sperm on the male side has more of an effect than stress."

But he said that a link exist between stress and pregnancy. Researchers analysed the levels of enzyme alpha-amylase, which is associated with stress, in the saliva of women who were trying to get pregnant. They studied the women's ability to conceive over a 12-month period.

Lynch said, “Women with higher levels of the stress biomarker had a two-fold increased risk of infertility.”

After analysing 400 couples, the researchers found that the women who had the highest level of alpha-amylase showed 29 per cent lower chance of pregnancy compared to women with lowest levels of the enzyme.

Alcohol, tobacco and caffeine tend to influence alpha-amylase so the women were asked to take their saliva samples soon after waking up in the morning.

The research published in the journal Human Reproduction suggests that yoga classes, meditation or even a 20-minute exercise daily can be of great help in fighting stress.

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Source-Medindia