Healing As An Excuse: Stress Is Related To Decreased Fertility Rates In Women

Illustration of stress and fertility rate (iStockphoto)

YOGYAKARTA – Lifestyle with high stress levels, the effect is proven by a number of studies. Some stressful conditions may have a positive effect, according to psychology. Such as eustress experienced when accepting a pleasant or stressful challenge that triggers the production of good chemical compounds in the body. However, stress has also been shown to affect fertility in women. Therefore, healing is needed.

According to research published in the Endocrine Society, Endocrinology, female mice exposed to screams may have decreased ovarian reserve and fertility. Although this research is small in scope, the researcher connects it with what is happening in general.

Ovarian reserve is the remaining reproductive potential in two female ovaries based on the number and quality of eggs. Women are born with a limited number of eggs and their bodies no longer produce eggs under certain conditions. As influenced by age, hormones, even emotional conditions.

Illustration of stress and fertility level (Unsplash/Elisa Ventur)

Reported by Neuroscience News, Thursday, May 12, Wenyan Xi, Ph.D., of the affiliate hospital of Xi'an Jiao Tong University in Xian, China, said that his research examined the effect of stress on ovarian reserve using a scream sound model in mice. His research found that female rats exposed to screams reduced ovarian reserves and decreased fertility.

The experiment was carried out for 3 weeks, and found that the sound of screaming lowered the levels of the rats' estrogen and anti-Mullerian hormones. Estrogen is a hormone that plays an important role in reproductive growth and development. While the Anti-Mullerian hormone is a hormone made by the ovaries to help the formation of reproductive organs.

Stress, in humans, especially in women, has the potential to affect normal reproduction in the ovaries because the number or quality of the remaining eggs is lower. Xi added that the findings of his study were linked to reduced ovarian reserve in women.

"It is important to determine the relationship between chronic stress and ovarian reserve because it can broaden our appreciation of the limitations of current clinical interventions and provide valuable insight into the causes of reduced ovarian reserve," Xi said.

In another study, proving that chronic psychological stress induces reproductive dysfunction in women. However, the specific effects related to ovarian reserve are still lacking, thus requiring further comprehensive research.