By now it is pretty much common knowledge that stress is bad for you in so many ways, but now researchers have new insight into just how detrimental stress can be to our fertility. The reason for this is because it causes the body to release special hormones, also known as glucocorticoids (including cortisol), that inhibit sexual reproduction.

Glucocorticoids accomplish this by antagonizing the body’s main sex hormone, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), thereby suppressing sperm counts, ovulation, and ultimately, fertility. Researchers at U.C. Berkeley have discovered that glucocorticoids also cause a commensurate increase in another reproductive hormone, gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH), which counteracts GnRH, effectively putting on the brakes to reproduction.

These hormones are our body’s reaction to duress, and may perhaps serve to prepare us to respond properly (i.e., run away) to adversity in order to survive. A large component of this is shutting down superfluous bodily functions that might not be as critical as others, and it might be reasonable to conclude that this would, at least in the short term, include sex.

Experts have been familiar with the relationship between stress and fertility for years, though the exact details were not completely understood. As infertility technology began to make huge strides, reproductive obstacles became less of a concern because science seemed to resolve many of these issues.

That, however is beginning to change, as it has become increasingly clear that stress could very well play a much larger role than previously believed. In fact, doctors are now attributing as much as 30% of reproductive difficulty to stress, including the idea that people might be “trying too hard,” and there is a wealth of anecdotal evidence to back these claims, including the many stories of couples who were successful at conceiving after numerous failed attempts at fertility treatments.

There is also published research that seems to validate this relationship. In one study, doctors reported that pregnancy was much more likely to occur when couples were feeling happy and relaxed as opposed to tense and anxious. When undergoing in vitro fertilization, women who reported the highest levels of stress produced 20% fewer eggs during ovulation. Among the women who were able to produce eggs, those who were feeling the most stressed were 20% less likely to become pregnant.

Ironically, even though it has resolved a number of issues, reproductive technology can itself contribute to the problem, whereby the enormous stress of undergoing fertility treatments can be enough of a burden to impede the success of the endeavor.

Which just goes to show you that it is not always so easy to avoid stress, because it has become such a significant part of our lives. There is, however, a growing awareness about the toll it takes on us, as well as greater efforts to do something about it, even in the world of reproduction. Many women turn to acupuncture and massage as a way to combat stress, and many hospitals offer these procedures in an effort to help them relax. While there is not yet any scientific proof as to whether or not these procedures actually increase the chances of conception, it is difficult to argue with the fact that it makes people feel better.

And that, in the end, is the most important thing. Wouldn’t you agree?