I feel like everyone is talking about stress these days, and its not in a good way.
We are learning that the high stress levels that many people are experiencing on a daily basis can have a direct impact on not only the mental state of a person, but the physical one too.
You see, when you are exposed to a stressor, your body automatically goes in to fight or flight mode (activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) ). When your in this mode, your body is preparing to take on a bear attack in the middle of a dark forest, so to speak. So in order for you to out smart or out run this freaking bear, your body shuts down transport of resources to different systems that it doesn’t need to worry about right this second. So naturally, you stop thinking about sex and having babies for the moment, so that you can spend more energy on thinking about what in the eff your going to do with this bear OR powering your muscles to bust ass outta there.
So how does this effect ovulation:
When the body shuts down reproduction, that means it is shutting down ovulation – right, because you need to be able to ovulate in order to reproduce. So for the duration of your adrenaline rush, ( SNS activation is caused by adrenaline aka epinephrine ), your body is more focused on sending all available energy and nutrients to the muscles and organs needed in order to survive in that moment.
If you are in your ovulatory phase of your menstrual cycle at the time of this stressor, it could cause you to stop producing cervical mucus (CM) – aka fertile fluid – in the middle of your fertile days in order to delay ovulation for a later date. This is to provide you with a better chance to getting fertilized and producing an embryo aka procreate.
Because let’s be real, it takes A LOT of energy and nutrients in order to support the growth of a baby.
This delay in ovulation can be characterized by dry days in between fertile days, no fertile days, and long or short periods.
In order to enhance ovulation for regulating your cycles, or if you are trying to get pregnant, it is really important to try and eliminate the chronic stressors in your life, especially around ovulation.
Now, the chance of you running into a bear these days is pretty slim, but here are some modern day stressors that could be effecting you :
- getting sick (cold, flu, etc.)
- mental/emotional stress (work, relationships, finances)
- physical trauma (injury, traumatic event)
- organ system imbalances (leaky gut, thyroid function)
Stress management isn’t just about meditating, although that helps a ton. It also involves making sure your body has enough energy and the right nutrients to get things done the right way. This includes :
- balancing blood sugar
- consuming enough of the right kind of foods
- not over exercising
- building muscle mass
- getting enough sleep
Managing your stress can help you out on your fertility journey, but can also improve your anxiety and maybe drop a few pounds while your at it. Learning where stress could be playing into your ovulation can provide us with so much information on where to start in your wellness journey and guide us to the right program made for you.
Tell me, do you think your stress could be effecting your fertility? And if so, can you think about some ways that you may be able to start eliminating the stress in your life? Start small and grow, one little change at a time.