Q: I am so sick and tired of hearing my friends talk about their pregnancies and children. I want to get pregnant in the worst way and I am afraid it is never going to happpen for me. It is all my family and my husband can talk about. I feel like I am going crazy because it is all I think about. Could I be ruining my chances of becoming pregnant with all this stress?

A: The negative effects of stress on many areas of health has been documented over and over. Anxiety and fear can have crippling effects on our physical health. As usual, this is a chicken and egg problem. Does stress effect your fertility or does your ability to not conceive cause you stress?

Stress was thought to play more of a role in infertility, however the biomedical documentation demonstrates that stress is only a runner up to physical issues. That is not to stay that stress doesn’t play a role. Remember that stress often encourages people to engage in behaviors such as smoking and drinking, which provides temporary stress relief, but often derails individuals from conceiving.

What should you do if you are stressed out about your lack of ability to concieve? Give therapy a try. Knowledge and support our powerful agents when you are struggling with anxeity. Joining a support group or getting individual therapy that encourages education about fertility, relaxation, and coping can reduce stress. Dedicating more time to improving your overall physical and mental health may be more powerful and fruitful than engaging in gimmicks to increase fertility.