We Know Infertility causes Stress. But does Stress cause Infertility?

We get asked this question all the time. It is like the chicken and egg situation - we don't know what came first!

It is obvious to us all that infertility causes a lot of stress. There are published studies out there that try to assess the mental health of infertile patients. Several have shown that the stress that infertile patients take upon themselves is almost as high as those faced by patients with cancer, HIV and heart disease patients. Being the best IVF centre in Delhi, we have very commonly seen that patients who are undergoing IVF for infertility commonly undergo anxiety and/or depression to almost psychiatric degree.

Why? Because infertility affects almost all areas of one's life. It affects your mood, emotions, your thoughts throughout the day, your relationship with each other, sex life and also finances. If affects your marriage relationship because the man and the woman tend to think differently when it comes to a life stressor like infertility. Women become almost phobic about seeing other pregnancy women and feel like anything that can remind them of a pregnancy. They feel like talking or 'venting' out their emotions to an avid listener, who is difficult to come by in this fast-paced life. The poor husband on the other hand has no idea what all his wife is going through. He tends to think, act and react much differently. He wants to focus on the "Solution" part of the problem more than the problem itself, and if no solution is available then simply avoid the problem.

Because the wife and husband feel, think and react differently there can be a stress in their relationship as well. Sex life is a mess because the "Trying" part of sex takes the spontaneity and physical intimacy away. Sex becomes a chore, a duty, rather than a recourse to pleasure. Infertility impacts relationships with family and friends as well, as all other colleagues and friends are getting pregnant and their life revolves around their kids, and you feel like avoiding them. It can affect your job because treatment requires you to come to the clinic several times and probably miss work hours. Since infertility treatment is not covered by Health Insurance it affects financial planning as well. Finally, it can impact your faith and religious beliefs also. "Why isn't God answering my prayers?"

So yes, infertility causes stress.

But does stress cause infertility?

Most likely, yes.

Providing the best egg donation Treatment in Delhi, we know it's irritating to hear "Just relax, don't think too much." Well, we know all this. We've seen thousands of couples like you. This happens. But guess what, we'd say the same. "Just relax". There are scientific papers published in International Journals that claim that physical relaxations therapies like yoga, acupuncture and music positively impact the success of an IVF or ICSI cycle. Acupuncture can also increase the quantity and quality of eggs (Chen 2009). Relaxing releases "Happy hormones" like Endorphins and Oxytocin from the brain that tell the body to stop producing "Stress hormones" (papers published by Anderson 2007, Huang 2008). All these hormones may have an impact on the Implantation process. Implantation is when an embryo attaches itself to the mother's womb and it happens over a series of Embryo-Endometrial dialogues. It's a complex process with thousands of molecules working in sync. Moreover, acupuncture can also increase the blood flow to the uterus (Ho 2009, Lim 2010). Go through the following links:-

https://www.nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/acupuncture-and-success-of-ivf/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases /2011/05/110509150845.htm

But we know it's hard to "Just relax", so let us help you there.

• First, do know that Janini IVF is one of the most renowned, trusted IVF clinics of Delhi with success rates commensurate with the best centres of the world. Our self eggs IVF cycles for patients under the age of 35 has a success rate of almost 70% and for those between 35 and 40 years almost 60%. With donor eggs our success rates are above 75% per attempt. If you avail two or three embryo transfers with us we've hardly seen any patient not taking a baby home!
• Second, we have relaxation techniques and therapies to specifically address your issues. We have an experienced and professional Acupuncture therapist who can book your appointments and you can avail that treatment at our clinic during specific hours. This is especially beneficial during and just after your Embryo Transfer.
• Third, at the cost of being cliched - Do know that we are there for you. Whenever you feel like voicing your stresses, or asking any questions, we would be there having a listening ear, no matter how busy we are. We have staff who is trained and experienced enough to exactly deliver this promise.