Is Chronic Stress Negatively Impacting Our Fertility Hormones?
We've all been told: 'Just relax and it'll work." Well-intentioned, possibly, but there's a very real biological truth that such an easy answer overlooks: chronic stress actually interferes with our reproductive systems in measurable ways.
'If we're continuously stressed out, our bodies care more about surviving than they do about reproducing. Our stress mechanism, regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, interferes with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, our reproductive system. Think of your body telling you, 'Now is not the time to bring new life to this planet," says Dr. Anindita Singh, Fertility Specialist, Nova IVF Fertility, Kolkata.
Elevated cortisol suppresses gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), reducing the secretion of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. In women, this can lead to irregular ovulation, decreased luteal phases, or no menstruation at all (amenorrhea). Men are not excluded from this, either; long-term stress decreases testosterone levels significantly and reduces the quality of sperm.
What's even more concerning about today's stress is that it's chronic. Our ancestors had short-term stressors like fleeing predators, hunting and gathering, and then resting in between. The modern age chronic stressors of having a good job, money issues, and relationship conflict never quite get shut off. Our nervous systems are constantly in high gear, constantly flooding our bodies with stress hormones.
The fertility community has reacted by adding stress reduction to treatment regimes. Mindfulness-based therapies, cognitive behavior therapy, and even simple breathing exercises have encouraging clinical trial data. One recent trial reported that women who were treated with stress reduction interventions enjoyed better pregnancy rates than controls.
But to resolve fertility issues due to stress, we must do more than just one-offs. We must have work policies in the workplace, as in Germany, to support work-life balance, healthcare systems to diagnose stress as much as other diseases, and public awareness that fertility issues are likely caused by system stresses outside one's control.
The relationship between stress and fertility isn't a correlation; it's causation, with decades of evidence. Knowing this link offers avenues for better, more holistic reproductive health.
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First Published:
July 31, 2025, 12:12 IST
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