Could Ptsd Cause Stress-related Infertility?

[Gnatterfly]

Gnatterfly - given that your periods have regularized and you DON"T way to get pregnant, now might be a good time to get an IUD

That's some good advice El! I do have health insurance through my college. I'll look into it! I just find it peculiar...as for nutrition, I'm a die-hard gluten-free vegan, I run regularly as well as weight train!

 

[Eleanor]

Well then, you are less "safe" than I thought! :) Any decent college doc ought to be fully informed about THIS!

 

[gms1976]

Unfortunately endometriosis destroyed my fallopian tubes and they had to be removed and so IVF is my only route. I wish I could just leave the stress behind and try naturally, but that isn't possible.

On a different note, I've found those with endometriosis or thyroid issues have an increased chance of having immune issues that interfere with pregnancy (antibodies etc). If you're struggling and desperately want to have a baby, look at the website of Dr. Jeffrey Braverman: www.preventmiscarriage.com. I'm one of his patients.

I've never met him in person as he is in NYC and I'm in California but he does telephone and skype consults. He is not just a fertility doctor but also a Reproductive Immunologist. He is one of very few doctors in the US who do this. We're going to be doing our next cycle with him advising our local fertility clinic. His website has all kinds of information, informative videos and a forum to ask questions. He does some very comprehensive testing and can help you get answers. He found answers for me that I hope will work next time.

Hugs

G

 

[Nicolette]

My blunt answer to the question (thread title) is stress can cause infertility - stress is linked to endometriosis (not proven) , trauma causes both physical & mental stress, PTSD results from abnormal trauma and so it all entwines.

 

[PTSD sufferer]

Oh GSM, I know you feel IVF is the only option, but as Eleanor wisely said there are plenty of children in need of a loving home, and being a mother (as we all know) is about more than biology. There are always options, and to give yourself the best chance it might help to remind yourself of these options.

Eleanor brought up the animal world and this has really made me think about my own stress levels and the affects this can have in pregnancy - combined with a new diagnostician who finds my fertility problems 'unusual' along with everything else physically odd about me. I have concluded that WE are Panda Bears. We have survived a great deal of stress and when Pandas are in a stressful state (lack of food, drought, hunted or held captive) their biology changes to survival mode. That means, that their body shuts down to the thing necessary for their own survival, and being pregnant or having a little one may affect survival, so their biology stoppes it from happening. To get pregnant and stay pregnant they need to feel safe and not stressed at all.

WE are Panda Bears, a species that is rare, survives and make the most living mothers, if we can reduce the stress in our environment and in our head, we might just change the our biological signals to say 'there is no drought here'.

Nicollette, How long have you been trying? How are your stress levels ?

I know I need to do something more about my stress levels and IVF sounds pretty invasive and scary to me. There is work to be done.

 

[Nicolette]

Nicollette, How long have you been trying? How are your stress levels ?

PTSD Sufferer, I had menstrual problems from the age of 16, got told it was all in my head and bled for 6 weeks straight despite 2 curettes. I got to the point of spending every month in hospital from the age of 20 on pethidine after a packet of panadeine forte and screaming the house down. At 20 I found a female gynecologist in a different state and begged her to see me despite the required referral as all the doctors said it was in my head (males). That is when they found the endometriosis.

Relevant note: I was abused from the age of 6 until leaving home and then still had family trouble of emotional abuse for many years afterwards.

My husband to be at the time and I discussed adoption being down the track as we were planning our wedding when I was 22. Believe it or not with all the wedding plans going on I didn't think about anything else as I was so excited and next minute, after years of no contraception, steriods etc, I was pregnant and due after the day we were supposed to get married.

That was 20 years ago and having my son helped the endometriosis. I had a pregnancy in between then and now but I was so sick I couldn't even walk and the embryo was sitting on a cyst and I would never have made it full term.

Last year when I started having all my kidney and bladder problems and was really sick they found endometriosis near my bladder and, even though minute, its removal has improved my health.

As for stressed - I have always been on edge so I can't answer that question objectively as I had a lot of external stress from family but now I don't have anything to do with them, the endometriosis is gone, I'm trying a gluten free diet and despite being severely stressed, I don't seem to have the pains but my periods are haywire and I can be bloated for a couple of weeks and moody.

I am not trying anymore - too old now and decided against it with Anthony considering his PTSD and also us both having teenagers at the time. The reality for me was I didn't ever want to be a single mother again and there was a good chance with PTSD as Anthony had just had a broken marriage with two young children.

 

[PTSD sufferer]

(((Nicolette)))

My gynos weren't that great either, until I found one that decided to do my first laparoscopy in my 20s. I had complained for years and my family's abuse did not help me in getting answers.

My father was an arse. When I got my period at 11, I begged my mother to have the 'fairy earth mother' take it back because I didn't want it... I thought things would be better for me if I was a boy. My 'father' refused to buy me tampons and did not give me an allowance to buy them myself until I was 18. There were times when I would be stuck in my room with toilet paper in my underwear for a pad waiting for mother so I could ask to have some of her well hidden stash.

My father told me I was 'disgusting' for having my period, and when I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis he told me that it was an STD and I brought it on myself. I cut my family ties a while ago, when I was finally able to acknowledge what I have always known - I was not the problem.

Obviously, I have a lot psychological issues associated with the 'fairy earth mother', 'intimacy', 'bajingos' etc.

With my first laparoscopy, my bowels improved greatly and the severity of my craps reduced (less time in agony with my head down the toilet). My last visit to the gyno showed a rather large lesion on the left side of my womb, but they still want me to hold out for pre-IVF. There is a waiting list.

The gyno I have now doesn't really understand the 'mental' illness stuff. He wants to put me on hormones to help me ovulate, but I have done my research and know it will affect my mood. I stopped my meds to give me and possible mini-me a good chance, and the idea of messing with that has me in a tough mental place. But, I would be nuts if I didn't acknowledge that the past has also put me in that tough mental place.

Love to you, PS xxoo

 

[The Albatross]

PTSD Sufferer, I thought it was pretty interesting about what you said about Panda bears. Well out of child bearing years now, it is yet another of those things that I likely will never know... but it has a plausable ring to it to be sure.

 

[Nicolette]

The gyno I have now doesn't really understand the 'mental' illness stuff. He wants to put me on hormones to help me ovulate, but I have done my research and know it will affect my mood. I stopped my meds to give me and possible mini-me a good chance, and the idea of messing with that has me in a tough mental place. But, I would be nuts if I didn't acknowledge that the past has also put me in that tough mental place.

I donated eggs for my best friend doing IVF and the hormones drive you crazy and are hell at times so I think you need to be in the best mental place with support and calmness. I saw my friend fail 2 or 3 times and I am sure her stress didn't help her with the implants.

Good luck is all I can say and put yourself in the space which suits you best..... then what will be will be.

 

[PTSD sufferer]

Well out of child bearing years now, it is yet another of those things that I likely will never know...

Other than adoption, you have a lot of love and wisdom to share with people who really do need a good role model. There are many of these types of voids in the world.

My Nanna (my only real family) adopted a 40 year old woman as her daughter, and what a lovely mother and daughter team they make! Everyone needs a loving mother (some more than most). I took my Nanna's advice and lined up honorary grandparents for my own children. What better family unit is there than one you can choose yourself :) xxoo

 

[MomOfTwo]

I came across this thread late but have endometriosis. I hope that this may help other women with unexplained infertility or infertility in general. I think there is nothing harder as a women than being told you may never have children. As women and probably men most of us grow up thinking we have a 'choice' to have children. That does not always happen. I have several friends who cannot have children. My heart breaks for them. Some of them have fur-babies now and they are their children. I probably would have many fur babies had I not finally had my children. I had fur-babies prior to children and lost my dog in the summer. One of the hardest griefs I have gone through in a long time.

I never liked the statement that "women just need to relax and then they will get pregnant”. No amount of relaxation is going to unblock your tubes if you have blocked tubes. You need to get to the route ‘physical’ cause of infertility. You may have endometriosis, don’t ovulate every cycle, hormone problems etc. My SIL tried to get pregnant for 3 years. Went to fertility specialists and they said nothing was wrong. She brought her charts where she charted her temperature etc. They thought it was nonsense. She went to to a naturopath who looked at her charted cycles and saw that her luteal phase was too short and gave her naturopathic remedies to help. She did acupuncture as well. Less than 4 months later she was pregnant. There was a physical reason. Her one phase was too short and once she was able to extend her luteal phase she was able to get pregnant. Charting out her cycles helped the naturopath figure it out. It was nonsense to some fertility specialists but not nonsense to a naturopath who was the only person that helped her.

I am the only person in my family with endometriosis. I came from I guess what you call severe childhood trauma or the average person may think so. I have heard that they have found endometriosis in children that have never yet had a period so it may be something women are born with and when puberty hits starts to do its damage. I don’t know but know I had severe stomach problems as a very young child and still do. I went to see the same naturopath as my SIL and had no choice but to do IVF because my tubes were blocked. After an unsuccessful first round of IVF I decided to try the naturopath as well. I was treated for endometriosis and did acupuncture. I was pregnant the next cycle. I think the naturopath made the difference along with working with the fertility specialists.

I have had multiple surgeries and am now thinking about a partial hysterectomy to get a better quality of life. I am tired of pelvic pain. I would rather keep my 'parts' but my quality of life is not the greatest. I don’t know if it will make a whole lot of difference but am hopeful it may. I think endometriosis really sucks physically and mentally. I am tired of the physical pain.

 

[Jlso111187]

I have had ptsd for 13 years now and in those 13 years I have had 2 births and 2 miscarriages. I am trying to get pregnant with my husband and we have been trying for 6 years. Any Ideas?