Strong stress may delay pregnancy, confirms British research reported in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
According to the authors of the study – researchers at the University of Oxford – it is possible that relaxation therapy would help some couples trying to conceive, but more research is needed to confirm this.
So far, the negative influence of many factors on the possibility of getting pregnant and its course has been well documented – such as age over 30, smoking, drinking alcohol, obesity. However, there are no convincing data on the negative effects of stress.
Researchers in Oxford set out to fill this gap and studied 274 healthy women between the ages of 18 and 40 who were planning to become pregnant naturally. In saliva samples taken from the ladies, the levels of two compounds that are secreted under stress – the enzyme alpha-amylase and the hormone cortisol – were measured. Alpha amylase is an enzyme that digests carbohydrates, including starch. Numerous studies have shown that it is a good indicator of mental stress, because its concentration increases depending on the level of adrenaline – a hormone that, like cortisol, regulates the body’s response to stress.
It turned out that women with the highest levels of alpha-amylase in saliva had 12 percent. less likely to become pregnant compared to women with the lowest concentrations of this enzyme. No similar relationship was observed for cortisol.
According to the lead author of the study, Dr. Cecilia Pyper, for the first time it has been possible to show that a biological indicator of stress can be related to the likelihood of pregnancy.
This discovery confirms the view that couples trying to have a baby should strive to relax as much as possible – comments the researcher. In her opinion, for some people, it may be a good choice to use relaxation techniques, consult a therapist, or even yoga or meditation.
The latest research is part of a larger study to investigate what factors negatively affect the conception of a child. It is also attended by scientists from the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Eunice Kennedy Shriver. (PAP)