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]]>Courtney Denning-Johnson Lynch, director of reproductive epidemiology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and colleagues found women with high levels of alpha-amylase, a biological indicator of stress measured in saliva, were 29 percent less likely to get pregnant each month and more than twice as likely to meet the clinical definition of infertility compared to women with low levels of this enzyme.
Researchers tracked 501 American women ages 18 to 40 years for the study. These women had no known fertility problems and had just began trying to get pregnant. The research team followed them for 12 months or until conception as part of the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) Study. Saliva samples were taken from participants the morning of enrollment and the morning following the first day of their first menstrual cycle as recorded by researchers. Samples of 373 women were analyzed for the salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol, two stress biomarkers.
“This is now the second study in which we have demonstrated that women with high levels of the stress biomarker salivary alpha-amylase have a lower probability of becoming pregnant, compared to women with low levels of this biomarker. For the first time, we’ve shown that this effect is potentially clinically meaningful, as it’s associated with a greater than two-fold increased risk of infertility among these women,” said Lynch, the principal investigator of the LIFE Study’s psychological stress protocol.
Lynch noted study results should encourage women experiencing problems conceiving to try assorted stress reduction techniques, such as yoga, meditation and mindfulness. Other stress-reduction tips from WebMD include engaging in relaxing activities such as reading or gardening, getting regular exercise, working on effective time management and eating healthfully. Lynch also said it’s important that couples not blame themselves regarding fertility problems.
“Eliminating stressors before trying to become pregnant might shorten the time couples need to become pregnant in comparison to ignoring stress,” said Germaine Buck Louis, director of the Division of Intramural Population Health Research of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the LIFE Study’s principal investigator. “The good news is that women most likely will know which stress reduction strategy works best for them, since a one-size-fits-all solution is not likely.”
The study was published in the journal Human Reproduction.
(Relaxnews)
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]]>As her doctor spoke, Lynette Barnes fought back tears. She’d suffered through post-procedure office visits before, the kind where you talk about next time. But this time was different.
The fertility specialist said she could try IVF again, but “the odds of it working are very low,” he admitted. And after four years and almost a dozen failed procedures, she had to agree: another round would bring more heartache.
But how could she give up?
Is what Lynette had told herself when she and her husband, Tim, decided to start a family.
Still, when a whole year passed with not happy news to share , the worried couple saw a doctor.
Initial tests were hopeful. Their hormone levels were normal, Tim’s sperm count was good and 32-year-old Lynette was ovulating. But several months later, with no baby on the way, her doctor did a full fertility workup and discovered once of Lynette’s Fallopian tubes was blocked.
Surgery revealed she also had endometriosis, polyps and a fibroid cyst that needed to be removed.
“How could I have so many problems and not have had sign?”, Lynette reeled. The doctor was surprised, too, but the important thing was now that they were fixed.
“I’ll finally get pregnant!”, she thought.
But another year passed with no joyful announcement. “I think we need help,” Lynette finally told Tim.
Hoping for a medical miracle, Lynette started taking Clomid to stimulate egg production and regulate ovulation. And when the timing was right, they tried artificial insemination.
“Please let this work”, Lynette prayed. But it didn’t.
Lynette was heartbroken. And so was Tim. But even though the drugs triggered mood swings, crying jags and angry outbursts and the disappointment was overwhelming – they wanted to try again. And again. And again.
Seven times in all, until the emotional – and financial – toll grew too high.
“I’m done,” Lynette wept. But something whispered, get a second opinion.
“Mixing the eggs and sperm in the lab will increase the odds of fertilization”, advised her new doctor.
So Lynette took more drugs – this time by injection. There were daily blood tests. Then egg retrieval and, finally, two embryos – two possible miracles – were transferred.
But neither implanted.
“IVF often doesn’t work the first time”, Lynette reassured herself. If she didn’t try again, she would always wonder.
But a second attempt failed, too. And with each failure, the odds of IVF working fell. Until they were so low, there was no use trying.
There was no way she could go through another procedure. But being a mom was all she’d ever dreamed of. They knew adoption was an option, one they were considering.
Still, Lynette couldn’t help asking: “Isn’t there anything else?”
To her surprise, there was. She’d just read a study by Stanford University School of Medicine that proved a new all-natural supplement that could significantly enhance fertility.
The women’s formula contained;
“All good for you and safe,” the doctor said. “I’ll try it!” Lynette agreed. And though he didn’t have problems, Tim decided to take the men’s formula. “The more help, the better,” he said.
Don’t get your hopes up, Lynette cautioned herself as she swallowed her pill each morning. And when, after only two months, she started feeling queasy and her breasts hurt, she feared it was just wishful thinking.
So she didn’t tell Tim when she took a home pregnancy test. And even when she saw the plus sign, even though her heart nearly burst out of her chest, she thought… it could be a mistake.
Only after three blood tests to be absolutely sure did Lynette give Tim a card that read, “What are you doing November 11?” “Why?” he puzzled. “Because that’s the day we’re having a baby!” she beamed.
“The pills worked!” he said, stunned.
Baby Hannah turned out to be just a anxious for a family as her mom and dad, because she arrived two months early. Hannah came home after a few weeks in the neonatal intensive-care unit.
“Welcome Home!” Lynette choked, tucking Hannah into her crib.
Today, Hannah is eight months old, and Lynette still gets teary-eyed looking at her. “After all the fancy medical treatments, I can’t believe a little pill made me a mom,” Lynette says. “For us, it was miracle pill!”
Nuvida FertilityBlend for Men and for Women is distributed by Nuvida in South Africa and is available from selected stockists and direct from Nuvida. To order and for more information, success stories and clinical studies, visit www.nuvida.co.za
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