Stress, Infertility and Egg Quality
Remember: Acupuncture can help your body change stress signaling and directly improve ovarian blood flow. Acupuncture can be a solution for stress you might not be able to address in your life.
Here's the link to the research article I am discussing.
Stress is acknowledged to be a key factor that impacts the advancement and onset of ovarian aging. Psychological stress leads to ovarian dysfunction.
Women who experience high levels of stress during IVF have
Less eggs retrieved
Lower fertilization
Poorer embryo quality
Lower pregnancy rates.
Mental stress has been found to lower AMH and AFC. It is involved in an increased risk of POI, functional hypothalamic amenorrhea FHA, PCOS.
All of these lead to hormonal imbalances - increasing the incidence of depression - which increases the stress a woman is experiencing.
Stress also leads to nervous system changes which decrease egg quality. Stress can create metabolic disorders which increase weight, insulin issues which impact egg quality.
The researchers reviewed 183 articles - 36 were population studies on the effect of stress, 71 were animal studies, 26 were psychological studies, 50 were metabolic studies.
My perspective and mentioned in the article - stress is unrecognzied component of infertility. Daily stress leads to decreased reproductive hormones.
Women with depression had higher FSH, LH levels and lower estrogen and progesterone levels. Women with significant depression were more likely to go into perimenopause early.
Physiological stress which decreases ovarian function was found to enhance the a woman’s feeling of stress thus impairing ovarian function farther.
My perception and professional experience - infertile woman are at higher risk of anxiety, depression and distress. In fact 40% of women using IVF had a psychiatric disorder such as major depression, generalized anxiety, persistent depressive disorder. Comparing women undergoing IVF - there were higher rates of mental disorders compared to women not using IVF.
The challenge to accurately assess stress during IVF, leads to conflicting research on stress levels impacting outcome of IVF.
POI
Studies have found emotional components in women diagnosed with POI. Emotional trauma or chronic high levels of daily stress is a potential trigger.
43% POI women report a history of depression. Their symptoms of depression start as ovarian function starts to fail, but before being diagnosed with POI. Though more research is needed to clarify this connection.
DOR
Research has documented young women with high levels of stress have lower AFC in ultrasound. This suggests women experiencing high level of stress experience fast AFC loss. Interesting that environment stress can cause high AFC which diminishes the overall available eggs for later recruitment.
FHA
FHA is the absence of menstruation/ovulation with no reason. FHA is usually the combination of emotional stress and metabolic stress. Women with FHA often experience low energy, nutritional deficiencies, poor sleep, severe stress and overexertion of physical activities. FHA women will struggle coping with stress, lean into the idea of perfection, desire constant approval and over control themselves and environment.
PCOS
PCOS is endocrine disorder which involves metabolic and autoimmune problems. Women with PCOS have a higher likelihood of anxiety, mood disorders, including eating disorders. PCOS effects women’s bodys - hair growth, weight gain, acne - which only enhances their perception of stress and increasing mood disorders.
ANIMAL STUDIES
A particular rat has been developed to mimic humans reproductive system under stress. Stressed rats make less follicles, less embryos and have less babies. They were found to have stress axis activated leading to aneuploidy embryos. It was noted - rats experienced comprised blood flow tot the uterus and ovaries. Leading to diminished oxygen and nutrient supply to the ovary. AMH decreased with loss of primordial and prenatal follicles leading to small litter rates. Female rats that had early in life separation stress were associated with early menarche and menopause.
Overview
Women with life stressor and susceptible genetic makeup can lead problems with fertility. Elevated levels of cortisol have the potential to disturb key hormones in the reproductive system creating a subpar ovarian function.
IVF
High anticipatory anxiety and cortisol concentrations have lower pregnancy rates. Increased perceived mental stress is an independent predictor of increasing FSH levels.