Stress may double woman's risk of infertility: Researchers

Washington: Stress can delay pregnancy and double the risk of infertility in women. Researchers found that women with the highest levels of  stress biomarkers in their saliva, have more problems getting  pregnant than other women.

The new study found that women with high levels of alpha-amylase - a biological indicator of stress measured in saliva, are 29 per cent less likely to get pregnant each  month.  They were also more than twice, as likely to meet the clinical definition of infertility, as compared to women with low levels of this protein enzyme.  The study tracked 501 American women between the age of 18 to 40 years, who were free from known fertility problems and had just  started trying to conceive. 

Researchers observed these women for 12 months or until they became pregnant, as part of the Longitudinal  Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) Study.  Saliva samples were collected from participants. Specimens were available for 373 women and were measured for the presence of salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol. 

"This is now the second study in which we have  demonstrated that women with high levels of the stress  biomarker salivary alpha-amylase have a lower probability of  becoming pregnant, compared to women with low levels of this  biomarker," highlighted Courtney Denning-Johnson Lynch, director of reproductive epidemiology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

The results of this research should encourage women who are experiencing difficulty getting pregnant to  consider managing their stress using stress reduction  techniques such as yoga, meditation and mindfulness.  However, she said that couples should not blame themselves if they are experiencing fertility problems, as  stress is not the only or most important factor involved in a  woman's ability to get pregnant. 

"For the first time, we've shown that this effect is potentially clinically meaningful, as it's associated with a  greater than two-fold increased risk of infertility among  these women," concluded Lynch.