High levels of stress can increase infertility in women, a US study has found.
The study analysed levels of alpha-amalase in women’s saliva, as this is an indicator of stress levels. It was found that women with high levels of this bio-marker were 29% less likely to get pregnant each month and twice as likely to be declared infertile. (Infertility is usually classed as failing to conceive for one year, despite attempts to.)
The study followed 373 American women who were free of known fertility problems for 12 months as they tried to conceive.
Measurements of cortisol and alpha-amylase were taken at enrolment and during the onset of their menstrual cycles.
Dr. Courtney Lynch of Ohio State University in the USA said: “This is now the second study in which we have demonstrated that women with high levels of the stress biomarker salivary alpha-amylase have a lower probability of becoming pregnant, compared to women with low levels of this biomarker.”
Lynch and her partner Dr. Germaine Louis, suggest that “Eliminating stressors before trying to become pregnant might shorten the time couples need to become pregnant in comparison to ignoring stress” and urged women to consider stress relieving techniques, like mindfulness or meditation, in order to deal with stress influences and anxiety in life.
