Health Articles

Posted by Nicole on May 13

How long have you been trying to have a baby? When it is taking longer than you expect to conceive, you can naturally start to feel the pressure building up.

But you probably know that stress and anxiety about conception don’t do you any favors. It can be hard to let go of your worries, but there are some things you can do that might help. Here are some suggestions.

1. Understand that stressing out won’t help.

First, if you are not aware of it, it helps to understand that your stress may be reducing your chances of conceiving.

WebMD explains, “Several recent studies have found links between the women’s levels of day-to-day stress and lowered chances of pregnancy. For example, women whose saliva had high levels of alpha-amylase, an enzyme that marks stress, took 29% longer to get pregnant compared to those who had less.”

Sometimes, just knowing that stressing less will help is enough to get your brain and body to relax.

2. Don’t try to repress what you are feeling.

But what if you still can’t de-stress? Well, trying really hard to squash an emotion often just amplifies it—or hides it, but doesn’t get rid of it.

If you tell yourself over and over “don’t stress,” your brain may just hear “stress!”

Plus, your body and mind want you to listen to them, and the harder you try to ignore them, the louder they will yell.

So, respect your stress and anxiety instead of trying to bury them, and your body and brain may lower the volume.

3. Address any underlying beliefs that might be making your stress and apprehension worse.

Sometimes, stress over difficulty conceiving happens to a greater degree if we start taking it personally.

You might have some underlying beliefs that get triggered by the situation. For example, you might think, “Of course I would have this problem,” or “I don’t deserve a child.”

But there is no particular reason why you do not deserve to be able to conceive, or would be less capable of it because of who you are as a person.

If you can dismantle some of these beliefs, your stress levels might decrease and your confidence might go up.

4. Talk to a friend.

According to Psychology Today, “Studies have shown that simply talking about our problems and sharing our negative emotions with someone we trust can be profoundly healing—reducing stress, strengthening our immune system, and reducing physical and emotional distress (Pennebaker, Kiecolt-Glaser, & Glaser, 1988).”

Then again, sometimes co-rumination can increase depression and anxiety when it goes too far (though it may also enhance friendship quality). So, if talking about your difficulties helps, go for it. But if it feels like it is bringing you down, try talking about it less.

5. Research solutions, not problems.

It is easy to get sucked into a cycle of researching all the things that might be wrong in your body when you are having a hard time conceiving.

But instead of focusing on problems, try focusing on solutions instead. Look up ideas and remedies you could try to increase your chances of getting pregnant. In other words, focus on hope, not fear.

Of course, if you think you may have an underlying anatomical reason for not being able to conceive, you should talk to a doctor about it if you haven’t yet.

6. Address other sources of stress in your life.

While a lot of your stress may have to do with trying to conceive, you probably have other sources of stress in your life as well. Stress from other sources could also interfere with your attempts to get pregnant. So, if you can find ways to reduce those stresses, doing so might help.

7. Do things that help your relax and feel happy.

When you are trying to get pregnant, it is easy for your entire life to feel like it revolves around your attempts and failures. But when you lose balance in your life, it can feel more stressful.

Try and to do other things that help you to feel happy and calm. Just making time for other thoughts and activities can help to relieve some of your stress.

9. Take a supplement to support fertility.

One simple thing you can do to increase fertility health is to take a supplement that includes healthy natural ingredients like Myo-Inositol, Folate, Diindolylmethane (DIM), and Chaste Tree Berry.

Not only can this enhance reproductive health, but it can also serve to reassure you that you are taking action to support your fertility. Just knowing that may help you to feel less stressed about trying to conceive.

10. Remember that you are okay no matter what.

Going back to trying not to take things personally, sometimes it is hard to feel like it is not somehow your “fault” that you have been able to conceive yet. You might even have a hard time not feeling like infertility is a core part of your identity.

But it is not your “fault” if you have not been able to conceive. As a person, you do not ever need to feel “not okay” with who you are. And who you are is not determined by whether or not you can have a baby.

However hard it is to keep that in mind, if you can, you will likely feel more relaxed about the situation. You will have an easier time weathering the ups and downs of your conception journey.

11. Have a backup plan.

It might be your lifetime dream to have a baby. But it is important to realize that you can still care for a baby and raise a child even if you do not give birth to one yourself.

There are estimated to be more than 150 million orphans around the world. All are beautiful children who need someone to love them and give them a home. Opening your home through adoption to a child in need can be every bit as rewarding an experience as having a baby.

Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you stress less, improving your chances of conceiving. But no matter what, you are going to be okay. So, relax, and best of luck. Hopefully that strip will show you the result you are yearning for soon.