Many women struggling with trying to conceive (TCC) are told to "just relax" — but this advice, while feeling condescending and frustrating, can point to something real; stress can impact a woman’s ability to become pregnant.  Paradoxically, stress and anxiety are also a very real part of people's experience when trying to conceive.

 

Chronic stress and anxiety create a physiological state that can actively suppress the hormones needed for ovulation, implantation, and a healthy pregnancy. Understanding why this happens is the first step to changing it.  Your nervous system and your reproductive system are in constant communication.  When stress dominates, your body makes a biological choice, and fertility is not the top priority.  Your nervous system has evolved to make reproduction a low priority when "survival" is uncertain, and it doesn't have the ability to differentiate between real and perceived dangers.

 

Now, let’s be clear, does this mean that you can’t get pregnant when stressed?  NO!

But it does mean that supporting your nervous system while trying to conceive will only help the process.

 

The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), commonly referred to as the Fight-or-Flight response, and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), the rest-and-digest part, exist in a delicate balance, which is beautifully designed to allocate resources where most needed at any moment.  It is acutely responsive to our biological needs.  The priority of the SNS when confronted with a stressor is immediate survival, and in the process, the activity of the PNS, which controls digestion, cellular repair, reproduction and fertility, is reduced.  

 

Think of it like a switch; we are designed to have a dominant PNS until, or unless, there is a real or perceived threat/stressor, at which point the nervous system switches to fight-or-flight to address that stress, but should have the ability to switch back once that stressor has resolved.  Many people's lifestyles are driven by chronic stress, which locks us into the fight-or-flight response, a condition referred to as Sympathetic dominance. 

 

Stress and anxiety can trigger cortisol release, which in turn can increase anxiety.  This is difficult because many people are hard-wired for anxiety.  When this is the case, it is even more important to have tools to calm the nervous system, and it can be done.  

 

Does this make you responsible for your lack of success in getting pregnant?  Also, NO.  

 

There are ways to activate the PNS, including taking time for yourself and upgrading your self-care.  At Root and Branch, our goal is to improve the flexibility of the nervous system, so that it is better able to respond to stress, real or perceived, and then switch back to parasympathetic control.  

 

Here are some practical tools for tapping into the PNS.

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• Try to have a regular sleep cycle, going to bed and waking at roughly the same time each day

• Eat at regular intervals

• Get morning light exposure within the first 30 minutes of waking

• Balance hard workouts (running, weight training) with softer ones, yoga, walking, Tai Chi

• Regular acupuncture is shown to regulate the menstrual cycle, reduce cortisol, and PMS symptoms

 

Activating the Vagus Nerve directly turns on the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS).  You can do this by:

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• Deep nasal breathing that extends the exhale longer than the inhale, count your inhale and double the length of the exhale.

• Humming, chanting, or singing vibrates the nerve to activate it.

• Wash the face or neck with cold water

• Gargling with water for 30-60 seconds. 

 

Acupuncture activates both the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) and the vagus nerve, and is a great way to relieve stress and support your fertility process.  

 

Adding even a handful of these tools to your daily life will make a great impression on your nervous system and improve the quality of your life.  It will also have a positive effect on your menstrual cycle and hormonal regulation.  

 

Have questions about how acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines can help with stress relief? Give us a call for a free customized consultation and we’ll review how we can help you during your conception journey.