Читать книгу Getting Pregnant For Dummies - Sharon Perkins - Страница 104

Dr. R: I remember one patient who had a very achievement-oriented, high-powered North Shore Chicago–type job. She found not being able to conceive at her command almost intolerable since for most everything else she had tried she was successful. Somehow, she was convinced by well-meaning friends and family that if she would only relax, she would become pregnant. So, she quit her job and stayed at home eating well and exercising. Since she was not working, she could devote every waking moment to her quest. After about two weeks of “rest” she was climbing the walls with boredom and her stress level was truly off the charts. She went back to work, adjusted her schedule to allow her to pursue treatment protocols, and fortunately, after considerable work and persistence, she had her first child. Child number two came as a complete surprise since not everything was perfect yet for that second child. The point: Many active people need to maintain a certain level of activity to control their stress. Don’t confuse activity with stress.

Full disclosure: Dr. R is not a firm believer that stress is a significant cause of infertility. He is a strong believer that infertility causes stress. To that end, anything that will reduce your stress and allow you to pursue treatment is desirable.

The literature about stress and infertility is not clear. A recent literature review concluded that there was no clear cause-effect relationship between infertility and stress. This was due to the conflicting results of the many studies and the lack of ways to objectively measure stress.

What can you do to reduce stress? We talk more about stress-reducing techniques in Chapter 9, but in general:

 Talk it out. Stress increases when you hold everything in.

 Try to focus on the “big picture.” When you’re trying to get pregnant, every failed month seems like a year — or the end of the world. When you finally do get pregnant, it won’t matter whether you got pregnant in November or January. Remember that the odds are on your side, in most cases, and that you will get pregnant.

 Don’t lose sight of the rest of your life. While trying to have a baby may be a big part of your life at this moment, it’s not the only thing you have going on in your life. Make time for your family, your partner, your friends, your hobbies — and anything else that helps you remember that you had a life before you started thinking about pregnancy, and you still do!