This can be either a yes or no question. Does stress cause infertility? It is kind of a catch- 22 question. Underlying stress can contribute to infertility. And infertility can cause additional stress that may worsen the problem in the first place. Natural factors create stress as well, such as smoking, drinking and alcohol. And stress leads to lack of sex, a key ingredient in fertility! With the many factors that can cause infertility stress, it may not exactly put you in a loving kind of a mood.

Stress can affect both men and women. There is a link between infertility and stress. Some women just experience a large amount of stress: be it work related stress, due to relationships, or pregnancy stress. This makes it difficult to ovulate properly or as frequently as normal. Stress in men can also affect abnormal testosterone and sperm levels.

Some women have low stress levels naturally, or because it is part of the treatment and the surrounding environment. Tests have been performed to show these levels. Women were measured for stress when they were preparing for in vitro fertilization. When it is time to undergo in vitro fertilization, the women who are less stressed have a higher conception rates. This is one of the reasons acupuncture has become so popular in helping reduce stress levels for women undergoing fertility treatments.

A person can't just turn off a switch to control their stress level; though it would be a great idea if that were possible. There are simple steps that can help reduce your stress. Infertility can be stressful enough without adding any additional stress to your life. No matter what treatments you are undergoing to try to become pregnant, you can ruin that by letting stress get the better of you. Just to think that you are spending all that money and time on becoming fertile, just to have it backfire due to stress that you may have been able to control would be an incredible waste.

If your stress becomes so bad, you can always try to do some easy, relaxing exercises that may be able to change that frown upside down. You may want to try the basics at first. Make sure you are getting the proper number of hours of sleep each night. Attending a yoga class a few times a week may be just the thing to relax your mind and body and reduce stress. Or how about trying meditation? This has been known to lower the pulse and breathing rate and this in turn reduces stress. You don't even have to leave the house to practice simple meditation; you just have to find a quiet spot to quiet your mind and soul.

Spend time with your spouse, talking or just cuddling. All of your communication shouldn't always revolve around trying to make a baby.

Lastly, you may want to seek the advice of a counselor; she may be able to guide you in a different direction, since medication at this point is not really an option.