Getting rid of stress means solving many of your diseases. People get sick when they’re stressed, they get stressed when they’re sick, which creates a kind of vicious circle. Stress also negatively affects those who want to have children. The stress of those who want to have children causes hormonal disorders in women and a decrease in the quality of sperm in men.
STRESS CAUSES HORMONEAL DISORDERS IN WOMEN
Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialist Opr. Dr. Uğur Çobanoğlu, ”Stress factor and depression; It has negative effects on the reproductive system, causing hormonal changes in women, causing menstrual irregularities and disruptions in the ovulation cycle. Again, it reduces the quality of sperm in men, making it difficult for pregnancy to occur.
Stating that stress alone does not cause infertility, but delays pregnancy, Medical Park Ordu Hospital Gynecology and Obstetrics Specialist Opr. Dr. Uğur Çobanoğlu, “Although there are studies showing that pregnancy is more difficult in people with a history of severe anxiety and depression, it has been shown that spontaneous pregnancy increases in couples who receive treatment for stress. Chronic stress and depression prolong the time it takes to get pregnant and create a negative impact between spouses. Stress is a factor that negatively affects spouses during the infertility treatment process. Feelings of excitement and anxiety are normal, but experiencing these emotions at a level that will affect our physiology should not threaten our mental health and should not cause stress.
IT MAY BE A PROBLEM OF INfertility
Opr stated that infertility is defined as the inability to become pregnant or not be able to continue the pregnancy despite having unprotected sexual intercourse at least twice a week for one year. Dr. Çobanoğlu shared the following information:
“In cases where pregnancy does not occur in couples of reproductive age after a certain period of time, many patients apply to our polyclinic with the request of pregnancy and request help regarding the cause and treatment. For this reason, the first of the tests performed on couples applying to our polyclinic includes gynecological examination and ultrasound, evaluation of the female reproductive system organs and some hormone tests in the blood to evaluate the egg reserve in women. Apart from this, it is checked whether the tubes that allow the sperm to reach the female egg are open with the uterine film (HSG). Further investigations are also carried out depending on the situation. In men, on the other hand, an examination called spermiogram is performed to understand whether the sperm is normal or not. If all the tests are normal, treatment is started for the appropriate patients so that pregnancy can occur more easily.
STRESS IS AN INDIVIDUAL DEFENSE MECHANISM
Expressing that stress is a reaction of the individual, Dr. Çobanoğlu said, “Stress is a defense mechanism against threats from external factors. It is argued that there is a link between infertility and stress. Psychological problems have been found in 40-50 percent of infertile women, and it has been determined that there is a relationship between infertility and these problems. Stress can reduce an individual’s reproductive potential through various mechanisms, affecting the hormonal system, central nervous system and immune system. While being physiologically exposed to chronic stress affects reproductive performance, acute stress can cause undesirable situations, especially during the spawning period. Stress causes the release of various hormones from the hypothalamus, reducing the release of sex hormones. Cortisol, which is released in case of stress, also decreases the sensitivity of target organs to sex hormones and causes negative consequences on fertility.
SMOKING REDUCES SPERM NUMBER AND QUALITY
Emphasizing that the rate of smoking and alcohol use increases in stressed women and men, Çobanoğlu said, “Smoking negatively affects the number and quality of sperm in men. Therefore, men should give up smoking and alcohol consumption in order to maintain the quantity and quality of their sperm, which are reproductive cells. Psychological support is recommended to combat stress,” he concluded.