Anxiety can wreak havoc on your life in a variety of ways. While it impacts people differently, if you’re trying to get pregnant and struggling, you might want to consider that your mental health could be a factor.
Can anxiety alone completely prevent you from getting pregnant? No.
It can, however, cause fertility issues and make getting pregnant more difficult. If you already struggle with fertility issues, anxiety is likely to make them worse, and make the process much more stressful.
Let’s take a closer look at the impact anxiety can have on your pregnancy journey, and what you can do about it.
How Stress Impacts Fertility
If you’ve been actively trying to have a baby, there’s no question you’ve been under at least a little stress. From planning and timing, to worrying about whether it will happen or not, the pregnancy journey is an overwhelming one for many women.
Unfortunately, that stress can have a negative impact on your fertility.
First, stress hormones can disrupt communication between the brain and your reproductive cells. That can end up messing with your ovulation, so you’re more likely to deal with irregular periods. Obviously, that makes it difficult to “time” when you should be trying to conceive.
Additionally, your body responds to stress in many ways. If you’re anxious about having a baby or just about life, in general, it could be trying to protect you by making it harder to conceive. When your body is under a lot of stress and feels tense, it “knows” it’s not a good time to go through the process of conception. While it’s not impossible to get pregnant, it’s certainly more challenging.
Finally, you might end up having less sex when you’re anxious or stressed.
No matter how much you want to conceive, it’s difficult to get in the mood with your partner when you’re overwhelmed with fear and worry. You might miss a window of opportunity because of that fear. Not to mention, the effects of performance anxiety!
A Vicious Cycle
Anxiety is a mental health condition, but it can manifest itself in the form of many physical symptoms. When you’re anxious, you might feel nauseous, have a racing heart, or even feel like you might pass out.
When you’re trying to get pregnant and anxiety keeps creeping in, that takes a toll on your body. We’ve already talked about how your body works to “protect” itself, but it’s important to note that these issues can create a vicious cycle that’s hard to escape.
Feeling these physical symptoms along with all the “what ifs” and extreme fears caused by anxiety can make it hard to conceive. You might even lose your desire to try. When you realize you’re not pregnant, month after month, it can fuel your anxiety to new heights, perpetuating the cycle and creating long-lasting problems. That can lead to other serious mental health struggles, including depression.
What Can You Do?
Again, while anxiety can’t completely prevent you from getting pregnant, it can make the process more challenging.
So, what can you do to fight back against your anxious thoughts? Start by recognizing what’s causing your anxiety. Getting to the underlying issue(s) is the best way to start working through it.
Hypnosis is a powerful tool for doing exactly that and is one of the most effective anxiety-reducing approaches available.
Working with a professional hypnotherapist can make a big difference. Hypnosis can help to uncover and release the root causes and provides effective tools you can use to combat your anxious thoughts.
If you’re trying to get pregnant and you’re concerned that anxiety is causing problems, don’t wait to get help. Feel free to contact me for more information or to set up an appointment.