Could My Anxiety Be Keeping Me From Becoming Pregnant?

Reader’s Question

I had a baby four years who unfortunately died after only 12 hours of life. No clear defects were found in the postmortem examination, and she appeared perfectly “normal.”

Since then I’ve been trying for a new baby but have not been able to conceive. Everyone blames it on me and my anxiety, which makes me feel even worse. I have even tried mild fertility treatments like Clomid, Progesterone and Pregnil, but nothing has helped. I’m desperate. I’m plagued with insecure thoughts like that I’m going to die from cancer even though my OB/GYN examined my breasts about 15 days ago and found nothing suspicious. I get alarmed at the slightest body sensation thinking I have some terminal illness and get worried that I will die childless. Can anxiety really affect fertility? I’m tired of everyone blaming it all on me and I feel so confused.

Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

Although there is an abundance of research indicating that anxiety and depression often accompany infertility problems, most of the research appears to indicate that anxiety and depression are resultant effects of the stress of continued infertility, and they appear to worsen the longer the struggle with infertility goes on. The issue of whether anxiety and depression can actually cause infertility is another matter. Although some studies have suggested a causal link, most of the studies examining this issue have not. Some very recent studies have even shown that anxiety and depression affect neither the rate at which women will drop out of infertility treatment nor whether they actually succeed in becoming pregnant. Most professionals, however, subscribe to the belief that anxiety and depression probably don’t help the cause when it comes to trying to conceive, and they certainly affect a woman’s overall sense of well-being.

Ultimately, the message here is to stop being so hard on yourself. The ordeal of trying to conceive is stress enough without blaming yourself and fanning the fires of anxiety and depression. There are effective treatments for both anxiety and depression, including non-chemical treatments so you don’t have to worry about possible injury to the fetus should you conceive. Ultimately, whether you conceive or not will probably be determined by other factors not within your ability to control. But for your own peace of mind, it’s probably a good idea to get help alleviating your anxiety.