The Support You Need—and Deserve—on Your Fertility Journey
Why is Mental health considered separate to fertility? It’s related.
We’ve been hearing a lot about mental health during the pandemic. The isolation, the loss of jobs and income, and fear of getting sick is causing anxiety for so many of us. How is that affecting us on a deeper level?
Mental health is your emotional, social and psychological well being. It determines how we feel, how we handle stress, what we do, and how we act. It’s a big deal! But the importance of mental health has gotten a back seat for far too long in the healthcare system.
What you may not recognize if you’ve not yet tried it: supporting your mental health—developing helpful skills, increasing your wisdom and awareness about your mental and emotional health—is the gift that keeps on giving in your life.
How do you know when your mental health needs a tune-up?
First, we all need a tune-up even if things are going swell just to help us be ready for those unexpected or difficult turns in life. (Enter the pandemic.)
But there are some tell-tale signs that you need to give your mind some extra attention now. These may include:
- not sleeping well or through the night
- not eating regularly or binge drinking or eating
- a pattern that’s sabotaging aspects of your life—job, relationships, healthy lifestyle
- dependence on a person, substance, or even junk food
- feeling moody, easily angered or saddened
- feeling alone (hello COVID) and not having anyone you can talk with who’s non-judgemental good at listening.
Family has a place, but good mental health care means creating some separation between your family's needs and your own. That means that you need a support system outside of your family.
How you feel matters.
Research shows that mental health conditions and depression in particular can lead to increased risk for chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Yet, one in four Americans experienced a mental health disorder in the past year. If you’re struggling, you are not alone.
How you feel matters in good times and bad, or just “ugh” times. Apparently “languishing” is the word of 2021 that describes the funk many of us are in right now. COVID-19 has brought a whole new level of unhappiness for many—even those of us lucky enough to still have jobs and our health.
Your mental health state determines your resilience in handling stress, your ability to navigate the ups and downs of job stress, relationship stress, family stress, and the list goes on. So, in summary, mental health matters, but we often don’t think about it until it really bothers us.
Taking care of your mind = taking care of your body
As a health care practitioner, I’m big on having my clients do everything that supports optimal health. As a result, I’m a strong proponent of my clients getting the relaxation, fun time, and support they need. The good stuff!
And—I absolutely recommend mental health support. I believe seeing a therapist is like exercise; you need to do it regularly to be in shape. Would you only go to the gym or start exercising when you have not worked out in years? Yes, if that is step one. But life is much easier even if you just work out once a week to take care of your muscles, bones, strength and flexibility.
The same is true for mental health. Daily relaxation with a meditation app, having a supportive network of family and friends, and seeing a therapist to help us navigate life are on the list of must-haves.
Why does mental health matter for fertility?
Many of us might notice that when we’re down, we’re more likely to get a cold. Depression can reduce your chances of getting pregnant. It weighs you down and it can make everyday activities a chore, and the rigors of fertility treatment whether natural or through IVF can seem like insurmountable obstacles.
The same holds true for men. A study showed that men with major depression were 60% less likely to have a live birth than men who did not suffer from major depression.
The researchers theorized that there are several reasons for men’s depression inhibiting pregnancy including “sexual dysfunction due to reduced libido, erectile dysfunction or delayed or inhibited ejaculation; a decrease in the frequency of intercourse; or even a negative change in sperm quality.”
What is often not discussed is how an infertility diagnosis negatively impacts a man’s mental health. Whether it be unexplained, female or male factor infertility, it’s very difficult to cope with.
Stress can be related to infertility, and infertility sure causes stress—Catch 22.
Stress and ovulation
The thing about stress is that it can stop you from ovulating when it is severe. Sometimes you won’t even know. Some women know when they miss their period. Why does this happen?
If you are very stressed, your body realizes this isn’t a good time to be pregnant. The stress hormone cortisol changes the signal to the hypothalamus, which can’t send the correct hormone messages to the pituitary. The pituitary then doesn’t release the necessary hormones to the ovaries, which don’t release the eggs.
Complicated? Yes, but you need to know is that stress can prevent you from getting pregnant or delay your getting pregnant.
This is one reason I test for cortisol in my fertility clients. What this hormone looks like can matter and it is often overlooked in a regular fertility work-up.
So in short stress can reduce fertility, but that’s not the whole story.
Infertility and Depression
Infertility can cause depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions. In fact, infertility has been shown to impact those experiencing it with levels of depression and anxiety that is similar to those who have cancer, HIV or heart disease.
Yet, for those conditions we have large support networks, more open discussion (particularly on heart disease and cancer), and very public recognition of the diseases and the impact they have.
Infertility is gaining some recognition, but is still largely not publicly recognized and this further isolates those of us who experience it. This is where both a certified functional medicine nutritionist and therapist can help tremendously.
The good news—you can reverse stress and improve your fertility
Women who receive support, counseling, nutrition improvements, and various mind-body techniques do see a reduction in stress. Taking care of your mind can help take care of what ails you.
The mind is powerful. It has the power to change its response for the better and improve your health.
In fact, one very small study showed that intervention, in the form of Neuro Emotional Technique (NET), can take women from not ovulating back to ovulating.
Studies show that stress can be reduced with mind-body work and pregnancy rates can increase, although more research on the mind-body connection is needed.
What I always tell my clients is “It can only help.” If your only side-effects are better mental health, a more positive outlook, less anxiety and depression, that alone is worth regular attention to your mental health.
Is it worth it to pay out of pocket to see a therapist?
The state of your mind is worth its weight in gold. So often clients ask, “Insurance doesn’t cover counseling or anyone I want to see. Is it really worth it?” Yes, yes and yes!
The stress of infertility is real. It can impact you like a cancer diagnosis. You don’t know what the future will hold and if you will get the result you long for after what will be a physically and emotionally difficult journey.
You need and deserve physical, mental and emotional support on your fertility journey. We can help!
Book an appointment today.
Annina is a PhD, Registered Dietitian, Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist and Board Certified in Functional Medicine specializing in nutrition and functional medicine for fertility, pregnancy and new mom and baby. She has 7 years of practice experience and has co-authored several books on infant, child nutrition and obesity prevention.