With cases of infertility in women on a persistent rise, experts discuss the possibility of stress as a major cause, even as many couples may be looking in the wrong direction. Dorcas Egede writes.
It was with untold joy that Clara (not real name) walked down the aisle to be joined to her college heartthrob in January 2011. Her excitement knew no bounds. But things soon became a little awry, when days rolled into weeks, weeks into months and months rolled into a year, and she could not take in. Several visits to a gynaecologist revealed that both Clara and her husband were in perfect condition. The only snag however was that she had hormonal imbalances which had inhibited her ability to conceive. The doctor counselled her to minimise all activities that may be stressful to her, explaining that the imbalance in her hormones was a result of stress.
Clara immediately got a housekeeper to see to the cleaning of the home, in a bid to reduce the number of activities she undertook, yet the situation remained the same, and the doctor’s advice remained the same. Even the medications the doctor administered on her didn’t seem to do much in abating the stress and balancing her hormones.
After much had been said and done, the couple began looking in the direction of her job. Being a marketer in one of the commercial banks in Lagos, Clara had to constantly deal with the pressure of meeting targets, as well as the constant threat of losing her job, if she continued to be a ‘laggard.’ ‘Laggard’ is the word her boss delighted in using to refer to those who couldn’t meet up with the outrageous targets occassioned by the rat race for capitalisation at the time.
Retrospectively, Clara discovered that the pressure at work, coupled with having to deal with the mad traffic in Lagos on almost a daily basis, put more stress on her than she apparently could cope with. Upon deciding that the cause of her stress was indeed her job, the couple reached an agreement that Clara should resign her job. Barely a month after she resigned, Clara took in. She bore the pregnancy for full nine months and was eventually delivered of a bouncing baby boy. That was after three years of marriage. Today, within the space of two years, Clara is mother of two adorable kids. She is happier for choosing to raise a family over keeping her banking job.
“Deciding to resign my banking job was the best choice I ever made. The stress that came with it was a silent killer for me. Look at it now, I have two children within two years, and the second one came nine months after the first, no need for drugs, no tests; just as God planned it.” She said with so much elation.
Without doubt, there are many Claras all over the country today. Many women juggle between being successful career women, good wives and keepers of the home; and in some cases, committed spiritual leaders. How do they successfully combine these responsibilities without collapsing under the weight?
A Psychiatrist Speaks
Dr. L. A Farri, a private Neuropsychiatrist explained to The Nation how stress inhibits the ability of a woman to conceive. Stress is an individual’s reaction to environmental imprints, the amiable psychiatrist said. He said it affects the neurophysiological, that is, the biological, physiological and psychological make up of humans. According to him, when a woman is under stress which may be induced by such negative emotions, as worry, anxiety, fear, hate, anger, arising from challenges at work, financial crisis or other problems in the home, societal and extended family pressures to birth children, etc, her bilogical, physiological and psychological make-up are affected.
Explaining further, Dr Farri said: “Yes, stress can make getting pregnant a difficult task. How so, you may wonder? Stress can affect the functioning of the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that controls temperature regulation, thirst, hunger, sleep, mood, sexual drive, as well as the hormones that tell your ovaries to release eggs).
“When one is under stress, the nervous system and the brain are largely affected, because that’s where the ability to perceive the environment comes from. One thing I always tell people is that everything is under the control of the brain. There are some specific areas that control our reproductive system. The hypothalamus, for instance, affects the adrenal glands (small glands located at the top of each kidney. They produce hormones that are essential to human existence, including sex hormones and cortisol. Cortisol helps you respond to stress among other important functions).
Explaining further, he said, “When stress affects the hypothalamus, which in turn affects the pituitory and adrenal glands, the ovulatory cycle of a woman is altered. Stress inhibits a woman’s ability to ovulate properly. When a woman is under stress or has an experience that causes shock, it often results in what is called anovulatory cycle. Anovulatory cycle occurs when there is menstruation without the release of eggs. So, even though a woman menstruates, there’s a possibility that eggs are not released during her ovulation. And if eggs are not released during ovulation, conception cannot take place even if there is sexual intercourse.
“A woman’s body should be fully ready before conception can take place.” Says the psychiatrist. He also says specialists equally underscore the importance of a woman’s body being prepared for conception. They advise that in preparing for conception, a woman should, among other things, cleanse and detoxify her system, learn to eat healthier, exercise more, create calm by cutting down on activities that induce stress.
The Biological Clock
When asked about the relationship between a woman’s biological clock and stress as it affects conception, the psychiatrist said a woman’s age is very important when it comes to conception and pregnancy. According to him, our organs age as we grow older; and this simply explains why when a woman is approaching 35, it becomes increasingly difficult for her to conceive, even in the absence of stress.
Comparing a 21 year old to a 35 year old lady, Dr. Farri noted that if both parties are faced with equal amount of stress, the former will more likely be able to conceive because her reproductive system and other organs of the body that work with it to ensure conception are more active in the 21 year-old than in the 35 year-old woman.
Essentially therefore, a woman who is advanced and seeks to birth a baby, must by all means ensure that she creates calm and cut down on stress before conception and during pregnancy, as failure to do so may lead to a forced abortion.
Dr. Afolabi Daniyan, a gynaecologist and marriage counsellor agreed that indeed, stress, especially that induced by a traumatic experience (post-traumatic stress) does inhibit a woman’s ability to conceive. To drive this point home, he cited the example of a couple that once came to him for medical help. The woman had been raped pre-marriage, and everything her husband did to make her forget the experience proved abortive. The post-traumatic stress therefore affected her sex life. She loathed sex, and the mere sight of her husband, unclad, repulsed her to no end. Even with the help of a psychologist, she just couldn’t get over the rape incident.
“Of course, she couldn’t take-in under such condition,” the doctor said; “and before long their marriage hit the rocks.”
Asked how a woman is supposed to cope, considering the fact that in most cases she has to keep a job to complement whatever her husband brings home, and in extreme cases she is even the breadwinner, Dr Daniyan said a woman would have to choose between a career and raising a family of her own. According to him, any woman whose job seems to pose a threat to her conception, should follow in Clara’s steps if it comes to making a choice.
Otherwise, he said, “I advise that couples should be in the same profession.” He believes that if a doctor marries a doctor, it will make managing stress easier for both of them.
In conclusion
It is a scientifically proven fact that stress is capable of hindering conception, hence couples are advised to identify what may be the cause of stress and work on it. Parents, extended family members and well wishers are advised not to put undue pressure on couples because they’ve not been able to meet their expectation of having a child in the first nine months of marriage. Couples, women especially already have a lot to deal with, especially if they are newly weds; it is therefore inhuman to add to their stress with pressures of human expectations.
