Everyone feels worried, sad or stressed at times. Very high levels of stress can affect your ability to conceive a baby. Speak with your health care provider if you’re concerned about your worrying, sadness or stress. There are many things you can do that can help.
Stress is the physical, emotional, mental, and behavioural reaction after experiencing a stressor. It is your body’s way of making you ready for some kind of action to get out of danger.
Stressors are anything that are the cause of a person’s stress. They can be physical (illness, pain or something which places strain on our bodies), or psychological (like a new job, moving, loss of a family member or friend or a change in finances.)
Some stress can be positive. It challenges you to try something new or learn how to do something you haven’t done before.
However, high levels of stress or stress that lasts a long time can have negative health effects.
Learn more about stress here.
It’s normal to have many emotions. But if you’re having trouble with your day-to-day life because of your emotions, thoughts or feelings, your mental health may be affecting the quality of your life.
Consider talking with your health care provider if any of the following are affecting you:
Getting help when you first notice the symptoms of depression or anxiety is very important. Depression or anxiety that lasts for a long time can have serious effects for you and your family, and can be harder to treat.
Needing help doesn’t mean you’re weak, or that you won’t be a good parent. The earlier you ask for help, the sooner you can start feeling better.
Some ways to cope with stress include:
For more information on emotional health during pregnancy, visit Healthy Parents Healthy Children.
A past mental health concern can increase the chance of having a mental health concern during pregnancy.
A person who had a mental health condition before becoming pregnant is more likely to have:
Visit Healthy Parents, Healthy Children to learn more about mood changes after birth.
Learning ways to manage your mental health before you become pregnant can help your health and the health of your future baby. If you have experienced mental illness or have concerns about your mental health, talk with your health care provider.
Stress can affect your ability to become pregnant or conceive a baby.
High levels of stress can change your hormones. Hormones are chemicals that travel throughout the body and help control how your cells work.
Stress can affect your body’s ability to release an egg (ovulate). Since stress may delay releasing an egg, the days in your cycle that you’re able to become pregnant (fertility window) will change.
Stress can also affect your testosterone levels. This can affect your sperm and sexual function.
If you’re feeling stressed, you may also be less interested in sex.
When it comes to stress and your health, it helps to look at the difference between acute stress and chronic stress.
‘Acute stress’ is the short-term brief stress that happens in everyday life – often many times a day. It can happen when speaking in public or learning something new that you haven’t done before. Acute stress can also be a response to something life-threatening. In this case, it can help you get out of immediate danger. Once the stressor is over, the body returns to its normal state. You can become stronger and more resilient for rising to the challenge.
Stress can have physical, emotional and mental effects. High levels of stress or constant stress is called toxic stress. Stress becomes chronic when it lasts for a long time and/or is extreme. The stress response stays ‘turned on’ for a long time. If your level of stress is very high and constant, your body is making stress hormones almost all the time. This kind of stress can increase the risk for developing health problems such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes or anxiety and depression.
Prolonged or toxic stress can also affect a developing baby by increasing the risk of preterm birth.
Talk with your health care provider if you’re concerned about your stress or mental health.
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