When Your Body Doesn’t Feel Safe: How Stress Affects Fertility
When you start trying to conceive, your world is filled with hope.
But as the months or years go by, that hope can start to fade, and the process can become overwhelming. Between fertility clinics, appointments, lab tests, and tracking cycles, it can feel like you’re doing everything right but still not getting answers. You might start to wonder if something deeper is being missed.
As a Naturopathic Doctor in Waterloo, Ontario, my goal is to take a comprehensive, individualized approach to fertility care. One of the greatest benefits of working with a naturopathic doctor is the time we take to understand your full health picture, from digestion and blood sugar balance to hormonal health and stress. Often, it’s through slowing down and truly listening that we uncover the missing pieces behind fertility challenges that may have been overlooked.
Today, let’s focus on one of the most underestimated factors in fertility: chronic stress.
chronic Stress and HPA Axis Dysregulation
Stress impacts fertility outcomes in both men and women.
For women, higher levels of perceived preconception stress are linked with reduced fertility potential. Chronic, unaddressed stress can subtly alter hormone balance, affecting menstrual regularity, egg quality, and the predictability of ovulation. [1][2]
In men, both life and work-related stress have been shown to reduce semen quality, potentially lowering conception rates.
TL;DR:
Women: Stress affects egg quality and menstrual regularity
Men: Work stress can lower semen quality
Both: Higher stress levels reduce conception odds
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How stress disrupts hormones
When the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is the communication system between your brain and adrenal glands, is repeatedly activated, it can disrupt normal reproductive hormone signalling. Elevated cortisol (our primary stress hormone) suppresses gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which is crucial for ovulation and egg production in women and for testosterone and sperm production in men.
The challenge is that stress isn’t always obvious or measurable. While cortisol and heart rate variability tests exist, they don’t always capture how your body is responding to ongoing stressors. Often, it’s the accumulation of daily pressures, whether that includes work, relationships, or lack of rest, it can all quietly keeps the nervous system in overdrive.
Clues that your nervous system needs support
You may be experiencing HPA axis dysregulation if you notice:
Irregular menstrual cycles
Poor sleep
Low libido
Fatigue
Post-ovulatory spotting
Some of these symptoms are subtle, but together they can indicate that your nervous system needs support to rebalance.
supporting your nervous system for fertility
The hopeful news? Stress reduction can make a real difference.
A meta-analysis of 39 studies found that psychosocial interventions, such as counselling, mindfulness, and support groups—improved both emotional well-being and fertility rates among couples undergoing assisted reproductive technologies (ART). [3]
Here are a few ways you can start supporting your nervous system today:
Meditation or deep breathing: Even 5–10 minutes a day can shift your body out of “fight or flight.”
Gratitude journaling: Three times a week, write down or reflect on things you’re grateful for.
CBT or counselling: A structured way to reframe stressors and reduce emotional load.
Art therapy or creative expression: A gentle and often overlooked form of stress release.
Book a fertility-focused naturopathic appointment with Dr. Leizl Yance, ND, in Waterloo, Ontario, to explore how stress and hormonal balance may be impacting your fertility.
References
1. Schliep KC, Mumford SL, Silver RM, et al. Preconception Perceived Stress Is Associated with Reproductive Hormone Levels and Longer Time to Pregnancy. Epidemiology. 2019;30 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S76-S84. doi:10.1097/EDE.0000000000001079
2. Akhter S, Marcus M, Kerber RA, Kong M, Taylor KC. The impact of periconceptional maternal stress on fecundability. Ann Epidemiol. 2016;26(10):710-716.e7. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2016.07.015
3. Frederiksen Y, Farver-Vestergaard I, Skovgård NG, Ingerslev HJ, Zachariae R. Efficacy of psychosocial interventions for psychological and pregnancy outcomes in infertile women and men: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2015;5(1):e006592. Published 2015 Jan 28. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006592