Steemit, Infertility, Stress and Pregnancy

jphilipsagholor (53)in #life • 7 years ago (edited)

Fertility has challenged us but we are stronger because of it. Babies are precious gifts, how wonderful they could be to behold!

@zoneboy was right when he commented in my last post confirming that Stress can even lead to death. He was right there.

Oh my God! It is true the saying that my people perish for lack of knowledge, Biblical quote. Many are where they are today because they thought it is okay@. It is just like in the case of drugs in the treatment of ailment; one may work against the other and could cause another sickness. Stress should be minimized to the barest minimum.

Knowledge is Power and Health is Wealth and no knowledge is a waste.

In a book by Chris Woolston, it is stated that “For couples struggling with infertility, they should "JUST RELAX". "Those were the fighting words," of an infertility expert, Sandra Berga, MD, Chair of the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics at Emory University, Atlanta. Relaxation is the key word.

I love Sandra Berga so much for her honest comments on the subject under review. She stated that couples don't need or appreciate any suggestion that infertility is "all in their heads,". They also don't need to hear another story about a couple who finally conceived on a cruise ship or had three babies after they "stopped trying."

LEARNING HOW TO COPE WITH STRESS

Berga says that there are some Links to infertility and such advice may be maddening, but it contains a seed of truth. Studies conducted over the years strongly suggest that emotional stress can actually impair fertility in men and women. For many couples suffering from infertility of unknown origin, this apparent obstacle is also an opportunity and it has discovered that some couples can dramatically increase their chances of conceiving simply by learning how to cope with stress. This is a known fact not an exaggeration.
Instead of intrusive advice from well-meaning friends, infertile couples need professional assistance. An infertility specialist can check each partner for underlying illnesses or anatomical problems that can make it hard to conceive. In some cases learning how to cope with stress, may not help all infertile couples, of course, particularly if the infertility is caused by a biological problem such as a lack of viable eggs. In such cases, those seeking pregnancy would probably be advised to consider advanced reproductive technologies, such as using donor eggs.
But if there's no other obvious explanation, psychological stress might be the culprit. In such cases a Professional Counselor or Therapist may be able to help couples handle stress and put them on the path to parenthood.
Cycles of stress is another type of stress that can debar a woman from conceiving, for example, physical stress, such as over-exercising or not getting enough calories, can wreak havoc on a woman's menstrual cycle and her fertility. It is a known fact that female athletes who push their bodies to extremes often have irregular periods, some may even stop menstruating completely. In men too, heavy exercise can occasionally cause infertility. I tell you what Berga did to prove this point: she worked with one "sterile" man who suddenly achieved a normal sperm count when an injury forced him to take a break from his grueling running routine. This type of stress can affect both male and female gender.
Another kind of stress is the kind that comes from deadlines, financial problems, marital conflicts, and, in some cases, trying to conceive. The link between this emotional type of stress and infertility isn't well understood, but scattered studies over the years painted an intriguing picture.

Berga and her colleague Tammy Loucks had reported that several studies have shown that seemingly healthy women with fertility problem tend to have high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their blood. Interestingly, this is the same hormone that seems to shut down ovulation in female athletes.

Wow, a beautiful fit but where do you think a baby can stay in this type of condition below, she must rest this body before a baby can enter and stay. I am not condemning this but she must slow down when she is ready to have babies.

Berga estimates that about 5 percent of all women at any given time have stopped menstruating because of stress. "But that's just the tip of the iceberg," Many other stressed-out women may have irregular periods or may go for months without menstruating. But even if a woman could set her calendar by her periods, stress might still keep her from conceiving. Berga emphasized that Cortisol and other hormones can prevent implantation of fertilized eggs. Stress can also mess up the timing of a woman's cycles. She may end up ovulating a few days before menstruating, which may result in bad timing if she's aiming for pregnancy.

It is important to note that emotional stress can also reduce sperm counts in men. A study of 500 men published in a Fertility and Sterility journal showed that sperm counts dropped when the men's partners were going through in vitro fertilization, a difficult and anxiety-producing procedure, while study published in a Reproduction and Infant Psychology journal showed that couples were less likely to achieve pregnancy if the man was depressed or had low self-esteem.

Despite the evidence to the contrary, prominent organizations publicly played down connections between psychological strain and fertility troubles. One of the reports from one of these organizations flatly stated that "stress does not cause infertility." But another report from another journal was slightly less emphatic, it said: "There isn't any proof that stress causes infertility."

Na wa for some people ooo! This is passive attitude towards this all important matter as 'health'.

Anyway, thanks to Berga who saw and understood the sentiment behind the above statements, read what she said about the passive contributions above- "They just want to be politically correct," and "They don't want to be guilty of perpetuating a patronizing attitude. So that patients won’t be getting correct information about how they can help themselves."

Hahahaha, on a lighter mood, this might be correct because if patients obtain self-help, 'yawa for don gas', secrets will be let out. But our concerns should not be on monetary concerns alone but achievement of a positive goal in our given professions.

Learning to cope

In an ideal world, couples struggling to conceive could find a way to magically banish stress from their lives. In reality, a little worry is unavoidable. The whole process of overcoming infertility is stressful in itself, especially if it involves expensive, high-tech interventions such as in vitro fertilization. Even in the best-case scenario -- the one where a couple finally has a successful pregnancy -- they'll have to eventually face the stress of raising a child.

Please note that marriage is not a bed of roses and each marriage comes with its own temptation(s), so, it is a known fact that infertile couples can't eradicate stress, but they can learn to change their approach to stressful situations. Berga explained as follows: women or men suffering from infertility whose cause is unknown often have, quite understandably, a negative outlook on life. "They have a script going on in their heads that makes them apprehensive and fearful." If they can step back and look at their lives in a more positive light, they may be able to convince their mind and body that it's a good time to start a family.

This is more encouraging - all hopes are not lost. This brings us to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of therapy that specifically addresses negative thinking, may be especially helpful for couples hoping to conceive. Berga and colleagues recently put this therapy to the test in a group of women who had stopped ovulating for no apparent reason. Nearly 90 percent of women who underwent five month's worth of CBT ovulated in the following two months. For comparison, only 25 percent of women who didn't receive the therapy were able to ovulate.

Let the sight of these children warm your heart and give you hope.

CONCLUSION

I promised to share my personal experience in this post but prudence and consideration for precision and space cannot permit it. Please bear with me and continue to be in touch, so that you don’t miss anything.

In conclusion, please note that stress is not good for both men and women and may lead to death for example:

Many football professionals had slumped on the field of play and died as a result of stress - and is in most cases christened CARDIAC ARREST.
Some athletes also had collapsed on tracks and died as well. All these were not planned and most of the time, no sign but like play, like play, the person is gone and gone forever.
Some women had given up the ghost in the labour room either on a delivery table, a few minutes after giving birth or even a few seconds or minutes after successful operation.
Some men had died during football match either when their football team had scored or lost a football match. This could be as a result of anxiety, exhaustion, or even over joyful mood, for it is said that too much of everything is bad.

You see why every man and woman requires time to rest and relax the nerves. So I say to you 'RELAX FOR GOD IS IN CONTROL.'

fruitfulness is what I wish all steemians in dare need of children of their own. Amen.