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How It happens and what you can do. By Dr. Haider Najjar, MBChB, FRANZCOG, Fertility Specialist and Co-Founder, Create Fertility and Create Health and
Kerryn Boyle, BExSci, Prenatal Exercise Specialist and Women’s Health Expert, Co-Founder of PregActive.
In today’s busy world-with jobs, family, money worries, and everything else—stress is something almost everyone feels.
As people who help women (and couples) on their fertility and pregnancy paths, we see how ongoing stress can really get in the way of trying to conceive. It’s not the only factor, but it’s a big one that’s easy to overlook.
Dr. Najjar puts it simply:
“Fertility isn’t just about eggs and sperm; it’s about taking care of the whole you. Calm the stress, and your body often responds positively.“
Let’s break down in everyday terms how stress affects fertility for both women and men, then share some straightforward ways to ease it and support your chances.
How Stress Messes with Your Body’s Baby-Making Signals
When you’re stressed a lot, your body pumps out more cortisol (the main stress hormone). In small doses, it’s helpful for quick “fight or flight” moments. But when it’s high for weeks or months, it starts interfering with the hormones that control reproduction.
For women:
High cortisol can throw off the signals from your brain to your ovaries. This might make periods irregular, delay or skip ovulation (no egg released), or shorten the time after ovulation when pregnancy is possible.
For men:
It can lower testosterone levels and cause more damage to sperm from things like extra inflammation or “wear and tear” in the body.
That often means lower sperm count, poorer movement, or lower quality.
This can be extra tough if there’s already something like PCOS in women, where stress makes hormone imbalances worse.
Stress Can Also Harm Eggs, Sperm, and the Chance of Implantation
Beyond hormones, long-term stress creates extra “wear and tear” in cells through things like inflammation and unstable molecules (oxidative stress).
For eggs:
It can damage the tiny power centers inside developing eggs, leading to fewer good-quality eggs or higher chances of issues in early embryo development (especially noticeable in IVF).
For sperm:
Ongoing stress can break DNA in sperm. When damage is high (over about 30%), natural pregnancy chances can drop a lot.
For the uterus
Stress hormones can make the lining less welcoming for an embryo to attach, increasing inflammation and reducing the “stickiness” needed for implantation.
Studies show that women with higher stress levels might have 30-40% lower odds of getting pregnant each month naturally. In men, stress can lower success in treatments like IVF by around 10-15%.
Stress During Fertility Treatments Like IVF
Going through IVF or similar treatments is stressful on its own—often feeling as big as other major health challenges.
Higher stress around egg collection or embryo transfer can sometimes link to lower-quality embryos or higher early loss risk. Things like endometriosis in women or job pressures in men can add to it.
Simple, Practical Ways to Lower Stress and Support Fertility
The good news?
Small, doable changes in daily life can make a real difference. These are safe ideas backed by guidelines from experts like RANZCOG.
You don’t need to do everything at once-pick one thing to start, build from there, and most people notice improvements in 6-8 weeks.
Calm Your Mind
Try 10 minutes of mindfulness or deep breathing each day-use the free PregActive app in the morning or before bed.
Consider talking therapy like CBT (often covered by a GP referral).
Jot down three small positive things each day to shift focus.
Eat for Better Balance
Add antioxidant-rich foods like berries, nuts, or veggies daily. Include omega-3 sources like salmon or discuss fish oil with a dietitian who knows fertility.
Prioritize Sleep Aim for 7-9 hours. Create a wind-down routine-lights out by 10 PM if possible. Try blue-light blocking glasses after 8 PM, or do gentle stretches like 5 minutes of legs-up-the-wall pose to relax.
Move Your Body Gently
Go for a 30-minute brisk walk 3 times a week. Add simple strength sessions 2x/week, like PregActive’s Fertility Flow routine (bodyweight, easy at home).
Extra Helpful Options
Acupuncture: A session or two in the second half of your cycle or around embryo transfer.
Restorative yoga: 10 minutes of supported poses at night or one class a week.
Track How You’re Doing
Take the free online Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) today. Check again every 4 weeks-aim to lower your score by 5-10 points.
Start small:
Pick one change this week, add another next week. Be kind to yourself—no one does it all perfectly, and adding pressure to “fix” stress can backfire.
Just pause right now:
Take a deep breath in, hold for a second, then let it out slowly. Do it two more times. Notice how your body feels calmer even for a moment.
A Positive way forward stress isn’t “all in your head”-it creates real changes in your body that can affect fertility.
But by making some gentle lifestyle tweaks alongside any medical care, many people improve their odds and feel better overall.
As Dr. Najjar tells his patients: “Your body reacts to a tight deadline the same way it does to a real danger. Teach it to feel safe and calm, and things often start falling into place.”
Dr. Haider Najjar is a leading fertility specialist and surgeon, co-founder of Create Fertility, focusing on advanced care and IVF in Melbourne.
Kerryn Boyle brings over 20 years in women’s health as a prenatal/postnatal exercise specialist and co-founder of PregActive, helping with movement and wellbeing that supports fertility and pregnancy.
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