Trying to Conceive Community

Some women's bodies seem very sensitive to stress. You know who you are -- the women who could count on having an abnormal period around finals time in college. And if life gets too crazy, suddenly your period is early or late. So if stress affects your cycles, you might wonder if stress could be affecting your ability to conceive. In your case, stress might affect your fertility in the short haul by affecting ovulation. But only in the short haul.

We've all heard that bit of advice: "Just relax and you'll get pregnant." Although delivered with good intentions, it essentially blames women themselves for not getting pregnant. It implies that worrying about being pregnant is what's actually stopping them from getting pregnant. And all they have to do is relax. If only it were that easy. And of course, we've all heard of someone who adopted a baby and then popped-up pregnant, which just reinforces the idea that once we stop worrying about getting pregnant, everything will fall into place.

But for most of us, the answer is no. Although stress hormones may interact with various bodily systems, stress alone does not impede our fertility. This fact is particularly hard for the large group of women who have unexplained infertility. We all want answers. Even if it means blaming ourselves.

What's your experience? Have you felt like stress or any other emotions might be stopping you from getting pregnant?