Stress and Infertility

Many women believe stress contributes to fertility problems, however; it is typically the opposite that’s true. Often, stress triggers a pre-existing medical condition that in turn can affect fertility.

Connection between stress and infertility

While stress in itself may lead to certain behaviors that cause fertility problems (e.g., smoking, drinking, using drugs or dropping out of fertility treatments prematurely), stress has not been clinically proven to reduce a person’s chance of becoming pregnant. However, women struggling with infertility typically have elevated levels of anxiety, and depression, which can lead to more stress.

How to lower your stress while struggling with infertility

Reducing stress is always a good idea, and it may help your body during fertility treatments. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Take your mind off your fertility
    Sometimes when couples are struggling with infertility, it takes up a lot of their time and energy. Take a mental break and go out on a date with your significant other, see a movie, or take a dance class.
  • Keep a positive mental attitude
    Try to keep negative thoughts or thoughts of hopelessness at bay by coming up with positive alternatives like “If getting pregnant was so easy, there wouldn’t be fertility clinics.”
  • Write about it
    Sometimes the simple act of getting your worries down on paper can be enough to take the pressure off your mind. It’s a terrific way to off-load concerns you feel uncomfortable sharing. Once you’re finished, the physical act of shredding the pages and/or throwing them away may also help alleviate some of the stress.

We understand how stressful and frustrating it can be when you’re having a difficult time getting pregnant. The highly skilled endocrinologists at Reproductive Gynecology & Infertility are here to guide you along your journey to parenthood.

Call us at 866-537-2461 to schedule an initial fertility consultation or to learn more about infertility treatment in Akron, Canton, Columbus and Youngstown.

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What Our Patients Say About Us

RGI made our dreams come true! And Samantha’s gift of hope….there really aren’t words to express how they changed our lives. We won their grant in 2019 and it has continued to bless us several years later. Every time we make a financial decision I think of SGH and how I don’t know if it’d be possible if it wasn’t for them.
RGI and Samantha’s Gift of Hope has forever changed our lives in the best way possible because they have given us the greatest gift we could ever get—our sweet daughter. We have this joy of being parents we had previously only dreamed about, and honestly weren’t sure we would ever have. Now, everyday is filled with baby giggles and snuggles, cheering her on to her next milestone (which is currently crawling), and trying to be the best parents we can be. We will never be able to repay RGI and Samantha’s Gift of Hope, but we will forever be grateful to them and are daily reminded of it.
RGI made it possible for us to experience the joys of becoming parents. There is no greater feeling or love in this world that we’ve experienced than bringing Liam into this world. We truly understand the miracle and blessings babies are. SGOH we will forever feel grateful for. We cannot thank Lisa, Matt and Sam enough for their generosity and helping couples pay towards their IVF journeys. Honestly, SGOH really does provide HOPE. Winning the grant also helped us to feel like this is really happening, it’s meant to be.
Because of Samantha’s Gift of Hope, our dream of having a child came true. We could focus more on each step of the process and keep a positive attitude through it all instead of constantly worrying about what things cost and how we would make it work. Now, our sweet Tenley girl is 1 week old and I continue to be thankful each day for the opportunity Samantha’s Gift of Hope gave us. We are now living out our favorite roles as mom and dad and are filled with so much love for our little girl!
“RGI is amazing, start to finish. They never make you feel anything but comfortable. Thank you all for your compassion and care!”
“Thank you for everything the RGI team has done for our family! Everyone has been amazing, and we are grateful for your skills.”
“A wonderful place! I would highly recommend RGI to anyone who is in the same position as me and my husband.”
“Thank you! Everyone is extremely caring and professional. I wouldn’t go anywhere else!”
“RGI went above and beyond to make my husband and me comfortable and happy with the care they gave us!”
“We had a wonderful experience with the RGI staff during our IVF cycle. All staff were kind, friendly and very informative! We felt comfortable at every visit and each procedure. The staff at RGI are wonderful and made our IVF journey a great experience. We are so thankful!”

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