Many of us lead hectic lives that leave little time for relaxation. We may dash to work in the rush hour, spend long, often stressful, hours at the office, drink coffee to keep ourselves going, then too much alcohol after work, arrive home too late to cook supper and find it difficult to sleep. Inevitably our bodies suffer when we don't take care of them, and it is important to try to maintain some kind of balance in your life.
 |
| Infertility And Stress |
There are conflicting opinions as to whether stress may play a role in causing infertility, but it is clear that when women go through stressful times their menstrual cycle is often affected. Sometimes there is an increase in the level of prolactin a woman's body produces when she faces a crisis, and it can stop ovulation altogether.
When you are trying to get pregnant without success, this causes a great deal of stress itself. Telling women who are trying to conceive that they should stop being so stressed about it is not particularly helpful, as much of their stress may be caused by their condition.
'There was a year when I was just totally stressed out about not being able to have children. I knew I needed to relax, and I had been relaxed when we first started trying, but then the pressure starts. From starting out feeling fairly chilled about the whole thing, two years had gone by before we started to panic. Then there was a year where it was all I thought about.' Isla, 35
The longer a woman tries unsuccessfully to get pregnant, the more worried and stressed she becomes. People will tell you to relax, go on holiday, forget about it. Everyone seems to know one of those couples who had a baby as soon as they decided to adopt or to give up on fertility treatment. The reality is that it doesn't work for most of us. Even so, it is worth trying to find some time for yourself in your life. Exercise is an excellent way of reducing stress, as is yoga or massage, aromatherapy or meditation. Even just walking instead of taking the car or bus can make all the difference to how you feel.
Your job
We may suspect that long hours in a stressful job have an effect on our fertility, and if you're trying to get pregnant unsuccessfully, you may start wondering whether your job could be partly to blame. The idea that women make a choice between a career and a family is often still thrown at anyone who has a successful career and is trying unsuccessfully to conceive.
Women can find it difficult to cope with their jobs when they start going through fertility tests and treatment, but how any individual deals with this depends on the level of support and flexibility they are offered. A sympathetic employer can make all the difference. Some women find it helps to reduce their working hours when they are having fertility treatment, but for many others this is simply not a realistic proposition.
'I was very lucky. The company I work for was absolutely brilliant. My boss and colleagues were incredibly supportive. I changed my hours, and everybody arranged their meetings around my schedule. In my department at work myself and another woman had done IVF and two of the guys were going through it as well. It was amazing. Just by being open and honest about it, we managed to find ourselves a fantastic support network.' Nic, 33
It is perhaps after repeatedly unsuccessful attempts at treatment that work can become really tough. If you're going through lots of treatment cycles fairly close together, you may need more time off work than is sustainable, and some women do stop altogether for a while, whereas others find work provides a useful distraction from their fertility problems. To find out more, you can check out Infertility And Stress.
