Stress and anxiety can affect a person in multiple ways. Did you know stress and anxiety can affect fertility? And not just for females but for males as well? Yes, stress and anxiety can affect a male’s sperm health in many ways and also negatively impact his fertility. So, what is the connection between stress and sperm quality? How are anxiety and male infertility related? Come, let’s find out.
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Male fertility refers to the ability of a male to impregnate his female partner without any medical intervention. Male fertility includes sperm quantity, and quality, both of which can be negatively impacted by stress and anxiety.
It is common knowledge that stress can cause havoc in one’s body. We hear that stress causes sleep disruptions, overeating, weight gain, hair fall, etc. Just like how stress affects these areas of one’s health, it affects fertility, too.
The exact connection between stress and male fertility is still not very clear, but there is enough research and studies to show stress has a negative impact on sperm health. Studies observed that men who underwent fertility treatments had more stress or anxiety in their professional or personal lives compared to men who didn’t require the treatments.
A comparative study between a group of men seeking fertility treatment and a group who were not under fertility treatment showed the group with the fertility issues had more regular stress and long-term anxiety issues than the other group.
The majority of the men with low sperm quality or quantity were under a lot of stress or experiencing anxiety in their regular lives. So, fertility issues can affect men with or without anxiety and stress. However, stress increases the risk of male infertility.
Research is still underway to understand how exactly anxiety affects sperm quality. According to the studies conducted so far, stress can lead to the release of steroid hormones in men, known as glucocorticoids. An increase in this stress hormone can cause a decrease in the male sex hormone – testosterone, which in turn can reduce sperm production.
Oxidative stress (a condition caused by too many free radicles in the body with insufficient antioxidants to neutralise them) can also affect the semen and sperm quality, thereby interfering with male fertility.
Studies also show that an increase in stress levels can possibly affect
● Sperm motility is how the sperm moves, which is very important when travelling up the fallopian tube to fertilise the egg.
● Sperm concentration – The number of sperm in one unit of semen.
● Sperm Appearance – The shape of the sperm, which is important for successful penetration.
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Apart from affecting sperm quality or quantity, stress and anxiety can also cause other issues like erectile dysfunction or low libido. When a male is unable to get an erection or hold it till he can ejaculate, it can affect his ability to impregnate his partner. Similarly, low sex drive will also interfere with pregnancy attempts.
Now the question is, does infertility cause stress, or does stress cause infertility in men? This confusion still exists as the studies were all conducted on samples of men undergoing treatment or not getting treatment.
Undergoing fertility treatments can be quite stressful for a person. So, the studies cannot determine if the men had high stress levels because of their fertility issues and treatments or if their stress led to fertility issues.
Stress, unlike many other health issues, cannot be cured completely with medications or therapy. So, there is no way to test the same group of men before and after high-stress levels to check how it impacts their fertility. If a man undergoing treatment has lesser anxiety after a few months and is able to produce healthy sperm, it is difficult to conclude if the sperm's health improved because of a reduction in anxiety or due to the treatment.
Now that a definite connection is not established and there is no way to determine what comes first – infertility or stress, what can males with anxiety do? Here are some suggestions:
● Take professional help for both your anxiety and fertility issues
● Follow a healthy lifestyle to reduce the ill-effects of stress and to also improve health and fertility
● Maintain a healthy BMI and reduce weight if needed
● Take up hobbies or activities that can help you de-stress and also stay healthy
● Whether it is medications for fertility or anxiety, take it only after doctor consultation.
Stress and anxiety are related to one’s mental health, while sperm quality and count are related to physical health. Mental health can affect the body in multiple ways, many of which are not easy to diagnose and go unnoticed for a long time. Managing stress and reducing anxiety can help improve both physical and sexual health.
Yes, some studies show that an increase in stress hormones can affect the way the sperm moves. If the sperm is unable to swim through the vagina, up the fallopian tube, and penetrate the egg, fertilisation and pregnancy cannot happen.
Cortisol is the stress hormone released by the body. High levels of cortisol can impact sperm quality, quantity, and testosterone levels or even lead to erectile dysfunction.
One effective way to reduce stress is to discontinue doing whatever causes it. Taking up a new hobby, regular exercise, meditation, yoga, art, or even dancing can help reduce stress and increase the production of feel-good hormones.
