Are You Sure That Stress Doesn't Cause Infertility?

Today I was reading an article on RESOLVE's website. RESOLVE is a national organization for infertility help. I have worked with them before, and their group of volunteers, most of whom have had their own struggles with infertility, is second to none. I even did a conference call for them that I found incredibly rewarding and enlightening.

The article I was reading is by Alice Domar, Ph.D., a leading authority in the field of mind-body techniques, with particular emphasis on infertility. By the time I got to the third paragraph, I was shocked, to say the least. I could not agree less with the following statement she makes:

"While stress does not cause infertility, infertility most definitely causes stress."

I am curious to know how Dr. Domar is able to state, as a matter of fact, that stress DOES NOT cause infertility. All of my experience, and a very large amount of scientific and clinical research, completely and unequivocally refutes that statement. So, Dr. Domar, if you are reading this blog post, I invite your response.

I'm not saying stress IS ALWAYS a cause of infertility, but I think it is a reach to say that it never is, and this is what she seems to imply.

Here's what we DO know:

1. About 10% - 20% of infertility cases are "unexplained", meaning that nobody knows the reason why approximately 2 in 10 infertile couples are having problems. There is a medical term for people who are infertile despite the absence of physical or functional markers for infertility. It is very technically labelled "Unexplained Infertility". It essentially means, "We don't know why you are infertile."

2. The great scientific and medical minds have already "proven" and "accepted" that stress plays a role in several major diseases including heart disease and stroke risk. There is also a scientifically proven link between high stress levels and elevated prolactin. Prolactin is a hormone that, if high, can make it completely and unequivocally impossible for a woman to become pregnant.

3. The mechanisms of how stress changes the balance of hormones, neurotransmitters, metabolic pathways, and blood flow in the body are documented and proven. None of these changes are beneficial to fertility.

So, I want to tell my readers to please think twice before buying into what Dr. Domar is stating as fact. While she may believe that managing your stress will only help you cope with the side-effects of the infertility such as financial and marital strain, I would like to encourage you to learn relaxation techniques because they can only help to improve your fertility. In the next post, I will go into detail about just how this is true.


Chris Axelrad, M.S.O.M., L. Ac., FABORM, director of the Axelrad Clinic for Natural Fertility Enhancement and Women's Health,
is a recognized expert in women's health and fertility
enhancement using Traditional Chinese Medicine integrated with conventional medical knowledge. He is known for his
easy-going manner and sincere compassion for his patients.

Mr. Axelrad provides coaching and support to fertility patients across the country via his remote treatment programs, and he also maintains a busy full-time specialty clinical practice in Houston, TX.