According to a joint study between Oxford University and the National Institutes of Health in the United States, women who experience stress on a regular basis and are unable to cope with the stress properly may be reducing their chances of conceiving at any time of the year.

This study, which was published in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility, showed the causal pathway between stress and fertility.  It is also the first study that actually presented a strong relationship between biological stress chemicals present in the body and the success at which a woman can conceive.

The main recommendation for women who are unable to cope properly with stress is engaging in relaxation techniques such as massage and light yoga classes.  This will help the body de-stress and cope better with ceaseless stresses that may be emanating from the home, office or even from the individual’s external environment.

The study made use of data from a group of respondents aged eighteen to forty, who were all planning to have a baby soon.  According to Dr. Cecilia Pyper, one the key researchers in this study, test respondents who tested positive for high levels of stress-related chemicals in their body had a generally lower chance of conceiving any time soon.

Respondents of the study who tested positive for these bio-markers where advised to simply relax and de-stress to raise their chances of having a baby sooner.  Other techniques such as meditation and perhaps stress counseling can also be explored.

As we can see from the recommendations, the type of stress management technique will vary from person to person.  So if you are experiencing such stress and you want to have a baby soon, it would be a good idea to start searching for the right stress management technique that will be well suited for your own lifestyle and stress level.

The role of stress in inhibiting important biological processes that contribute to child-bearing has only been recently reviewed by medical science.  Some years ago, only anecdotal evidence supported the claims that stress also played a part in fertility and child-bearing.  The joint US-UK study shows that there is indeed scientific proof of these earlier assertions regarding stress and fertility.

But do women generally follow the guidelines set for those who wish to get pregnant?  Unfortunately, no. According to a survey carried out by researchers from the MRC Epidemiology Center, it was found that only 2.9% of all the survey respondents had adequate folate levels in their blood . The rest of those surveyed had low levels of folate and had more than four servings of alcohol per week - two definite no-nos when you want to conceive.

Sources:
sciencedaily.com
sciencedaily.com