You may be asking yourself “what does stress have to do with fertility”? The short answer is that stress depletes nutrients that are necessary to manufacture hormones such as estrogen and progesterone which are crucial to one’s ability to become and sustain a pregnancy.

Estrogen and progesterone regulate the female menstrual cycle and ovulation. If ovulation does not occur, called anovulation, fertilization and the resulting pregnancy is not possible. It is incredibly important to ensure that estrogen and progesterone levels are balanced when you are trying to conceive.

So where does stress come into all of this?

A perceived stressor, either physical or emotional, triggers the body to enter into a “fight or flight” response. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis kicks into gear and releases cortisol, the stress hormone. Cortisol is an alpha hormone, meaning that the body prioritizes the production of this hormone over others, as it is essential to keeping us safe. From an evolutionary perspective, this response is of great value because it protects us from threats such as encountering an enemy and having to escape quickly to avoid danger. In today’s day and age, we are constantly bombarded by stressors that have the same effect, but are of little threat to our lives (ie. not enough sleep, too much caffeine, conflict with others, finances, societal pressures, etc).

What this means is that when we are in a stressed state, which is quite often for most people, the materials used to produce hormones such as progesterone and estrogen, are converted to cortisol instead. This is done to ensure that there are adequate levels of cortisol available to “protect us” while we are in that “fight or flight” response. But, this means that levels of other hormones, including estrogen and progesterone can be reduced and thrown out of balance.

So what can we do?

Nutrition and lifestyle play a crucial role in decreasing the negative effects of stress by ensuring necessary nutrients are available to build all of our hormones and maintain homeostasis within the body. Hormones are built from amino acids which come from protein. Adequate daily protein intake is essential for maintaining hormone levels within the body. Additionally, reducing levels of stress by learning techniques such as the “relaxation response” can counter the effects of stress and work to support all body systems. Increasing stores of nutrients such as amino acid ensures that the body has what it needs, even amid stress, to produce hormones like estrogen and progesterone.

Working with a health care provider, like a registered holistic nutritionist, can help identify areas within your diet and lifestyle that may be impacting your stress levels and fertility. My Preconception Package is an amazing opportunity for us to work together to create a plan that will ensure you are getting what you need to replenish nutrients often depleted by stress AND support you as you try to become pregnant!