What is emotional stress?
One of the psychological problems that involve serious depression to the individual whether male or female.
It includes a sense of sadness, depression, frustration, or hopelessness, loss of passion, conflict, pressure to live a meaningful and happy. Life felt lonely and empty.
These symptoms result when a person feels the need exceeds the capacity or the resources available to him.
Typically, those involved should be given medical treatment and assistance of psychotherapy and counseling as early as possible to combat emotional stress becomes serious.
What is the relationship between stress and infertility?
Most couples experiencing infertility problems would receive heavy pressure in terms of personal, social, family, and finances. Stress can inhibit hormone secretion gonadotropin. When it becomes excessive and prolonged menstrual cycles can cause interference, including non-occurrence of ovulation and no periods (amenorrhea).
Similarly, in men, the ability to produce sperm may be reduced. Thus, it is clear that stress causes infertility and so on the other.
Why always emotional stress by patient experience IVF?
- They are shrouded in humility, consider they not enough character and fail in life.
- Some couples put the success of the issue as a precondition to obtaining domestic happiness, but there is a fear of failure when undergoing treatment and ashamed to face the people.
- Hopes are high, but given the patient are more often found as a result of failure in each round of treatment. This treatment requires high emotional commitment because it is a treatment that does not guarantee a hundred percent success.
- Culture demanding, should have babies after married
- Furthermore, the treatment involves high costs and considerable time.
- Experiencing a traumatic event that cannot be accepted by the patient. Among the significant loss of life dramatically (death or separation) and the patient is not ready to face the situation. Usually they are people who are loved, loved or loved one, loss of self-respect against both (victims of rape / incest)
- Suffering from severe and prolonged illness that causes the patient to lose the ability itself. The functions themselves are limited and cannot run the appropriate life roles (roles as wife / husband / family members).
- Overweight are not able to overcome and it becomes the burden of life (eg. failure in career / failure in the household / stress at work)
What effect of emotional stress to IVF?
- Interference with eggs causes immature eggs. Excessive stress can cause hormonal imbalance, it directly causes a woman’s immature egg problems, disorders of ovulation and luteinisation process disorder (process where the follicle forms the corpus luteum). The hormonal balance is crucial to get the pregnancy.
- Increase or decrease in drastic weight loss. Hormonal balance can also be interrupted when the weight is too less or too heavy, major changes in body weight in a short time, was disrupted due to excessive physical exertion, disrupted due to the thyroid gland is not functioning properly or disrupted due to the secretion of the hormone prolactin, disturbed due to the effects of some drugs and suffered from depression.
- The immature sperm disorder. Most problems involving the men were unable to produce normal sperm and move about enough. Semen quality is normal when there are more than 15 million sperm in each 1 milliliter ( ml ) of semen and have a normal form at least 4 % and can achieve at least 32% of the sperm that can move properly . If the value is not achieved, the ability of sperm to make the process of fertilization is low.
Solutions
- Couples should have to be knowledgeable about infertility and its treatment. The more you know and understand about the process, the less pressure you may feel. Find articles and other reading materials about IVF. Take advantage of the resources of your treatment center, talk to others who have gone through IVF.
- Learn to focus on factors that are beyond your control (eg. smoking cessation) than where you have no control (eg. your age). And discuss with their partners to address the problem of infertility.
- Get immediate help with medical experts, psychotherapist, counselor or those who are capable. Do not wait until all symptoms of depression occur. It may be more difficult to recover.
- Always cherish, love, and care of herself. Help yourself as best as possible to get closer to God, acceptance and pleased with the conditions. Pleasure and sincerity that is the cure. God will give the best, as long as we ask.. There will be something going on behind the wisdom. Convince us.
- Avoid alone. Keep in contact with friends and relatives that we can hope for. It is advisable to remembrance of God
- If feel like crying, cry to eliminate tears in the chest. Crying is human nature. What should be avoided is the mourning. Lamentations will be heard by our feelings. It can be unnerving feeling.
- Be strong by reminding ourselves of our responsibilities to others. In the family, friends, colleagues, and other people who need us. If we are stuck with depression, it will affect them.
- Reading books can build morale and motivation.
- Do not blame yourself and punish yourself because of the weakness of the case.
- Involve yourself in activities that make you feel comfortable and relaxed as stress management classes , relax and listen to the tape other techniques mind / body .
- Boost your health by having a healthy and orderly.
- Exercise regularly and maintain healthy weights are two lifestyle changes that can help to reduce your stress.
- Ready to make a decision. It is important to anticipate the results that may occur during IVF and discuss your options in advance. Sometimes this decision can bring moral and religious implications that you need to consider and discuss. Counseling can help you in exploring these issues and recommended in treatment guidelines Reproductive Medicine.
- Facilitate communication with your partner by setting a limited amount of time to talk about IVF, such as 20 minutes a day, and then put aside talk of infertility.
- Friends and family can be your best support
References
- American Fertility Association. Emotional and Psychological Obstacles to IVF
- Boivin J, Griffiths E, Venetis CA. “Emotional distress in infertile women and failure of assisted reproductive technologies: meta-analysis of prospective psychosocial studies.” BMJ. 2011 Feb 23;342:d223.
- Bouwmans CA1, Lintsen BA, Al M, Verhaak CM, Eijkemans RJ, Habbema JD, Braat DD, Hakkaart-Van Roijen LAbsence from work and emotional stress in women undergoing IVF or ICSI: an analysis of IVF-related absence from work in women and the contribution of general and emotional factors. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2008;87(11):1169-75
- Donarelli Z1, Lo Coco G, Gullo S, Marino A, Volpes A, Allegra A. Are attachment dimensions associated with infertility-related stress in couples undergoing their first IVF treatment? A study on the individual and cross-partner effect. Hum Reprod. 2012 Nov;27(11):3215-25.
- S.M.S. Ebbesen, R. Zachariae, M.Y. Mehlsen, D. Thomsen, A. Højgaard, L. Ottosen, T. Petersen, H.J. Ingerslev. Stressful Life Events are Associated with a Poor In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) Outcome: A Prospective Study. Hum Reprod. 2009;24(9):2173-2182.
| Last Reviewed | : | 15 January 2015 |
| Writer / Translator | : | Sardiana bt. Sarmidi |
| Accreditor | : | Krishnan a/l Kanniah |
