AboutDeborah Expertise I can answer questions about pregnancy symptoms, contraception, abortion, adoption,and
teen parenthood. Specifically, I can give up to date, accurate medical information, latest
studies as well as statistics pertaining to health issues surrounding pregnancy, and factors
to be considered before deciding to become a teen parent.
Experience I have answered over 3000 questions in this area on other health sites, most in the area of teen pregnancy.
Education/Credentials I have a bachelor's Degree in Biology, and am halfway through a Master's Degree, also in Biology. I have access to and read many of the top medical journals, from which I also get the best, most thorough and accurate to answers to pressing medical and health related questions.
Past/Present Clients ehealth over 3000 posts
pro-choice talk over 6000 posts
Question Oh ok I get it then...so lets just say you cry over certain things every other day would that also affect you from conceiving?
Answer Dear Georgina,
Below you will find a thesis which explains why depression may interfere with getting pregnant.
But why are you crying every other day? You probably have to solve that problem in order to alleviate your depression. Can you tell me what's wrong?
Write back,
Deb
"Here's Domar's thesis: A woman who wants very much to be a mother starts trying to conceive. She doesn't get pregnant right away, and she starts to worry, particularly if she's older. After failing to get pregnant for a couple of months, depression may set in, which in turn interferes with the delicate hormonal balance required for conception. Egg quality may be reduced, the release of eggs delayed or the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus prevented. Each month she fails to get pregnant, her depression deepens, her hormonal fluctuation continues and her fertility is hampered further. If the woman has a pre-existing depression, as some 12.4 million American women do, infertility is even more likely.
Certainly, not all cases of infertility are triggered by depression: Many couples have specific medical conditions that contribute to their fertility problems, and not all depressed women have trouble conceiving. But some 20 percent of infertility is unexplained, and in many cases assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF should work but, for no obvious reason, don't. It is in those cases that Domar says depression may play a crucial part. "There is a very complex cascade of hormones that need to coordinate to produce a pregnancy," she says. "If even one of those is off, as happens when a woman is depressed, it can prevent conception.""
