Stress and IVF success/failure

[Anonymous]

Has anyone experienced IVF failure because of stress?
I know you are supposed to not stress out, and that everyone is stressed out at various levels and degrees. But we were wondering if stress could be the reason why my two cycles failed. For context, I'm AMA (42 next month), and also trying to finish my PhD. Not to mention childcare responsibilities that I shoulder almost alone (we have a 5 year old).

[Anonymous]

I don’t know of anybody who has done IVF and not felt stress during the process. And I don’t think there is any way to be stress-free during a cycle, whether you have nothing else going on in your life or if you are very busy with other kids, schooling, and work. IMO, either an embryo is going to take or it is not. Experiencing stress is not going to cause an embryo not to implant.

[Anonymous]

The kind of stress that ends pregnancies is chronic stress (sometimes called "toxic stress") such as living in a war zone or refugee camp, enduring poverty, etc. That being said, my first successful pregnancy * as a woman who didn't require ART - major caveat * was when I "gave up" and stopped tracking cycles, temps, etc.

[Anonymous]

Obviously anecdotal, but I spent the morning of a transfer in a huge, very stressful, so angry-I-was-shaking argument with my husband. I was also working from home while caring for a toddler (no childcare due to the pandemic, DH was essential and coming home past midnight so not much help). It was a rough time in many respects, but the transfer was successful. Wishing you luck.

[Anonymous]

I think you are grasping at straws here. Honestly, most doctors don't even know why cycles fail.

[Anonymous]

I think stress and traveling resulted in my failed medicated transfer. I am trying to stay relaxed, take off from work as needed, and do acupuncture. Hoping for a successful cycle this month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know of anybody who has done IVF and not felt stress during the process. And I don’t think there is any way to be stress-free during a cycle, whether you have nothing else going on in your life or if you are very busy with other kids, schooling, and work. IMO, either an embryo is going to take or it is not. Experiencing stress is not going to cause an embryo not to implant.

+1 to all of this.

[Anonymous]

Again anecdotal, but a good friend finally had a successful cycle (after multiple failures) the morning that she went straight from the clinic into a car with her partner to drive six hours to her grandmother’s funeral. It was one of the most stressful days of her life.

If you are spiritual, maybe Grandma helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know of anybody who has done IVF and not felt stress during the process. And I don’t think there is any way to be stress-free during a cycle, whether you have nothing else going on in your life or if you are very busy with other kids, schooling, and work. IMO, either an embryo is going to take or it is not. Experiencing stress is not going to cause an embryo not to implant.

+1 to all of this.

+100. Being worried whether a transfer will take does not cause non-implantation. An embryo is going to be viable or not, and you could either be totally chilled without a care or shaking with anxiety and it wouldn’t matter. Either it is going to implant or not and that is likely determined in the lab well before it is anywhere near your body.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for all your responses (OP here). True, I'm grasping at straws and trying to find answers that clearly do not exist. It does help that I feel lighter knowing I'm not alone in this journey, thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for all your responses (OP here). True, I'm grasping at straws and trying to find answers that clearly do not exist. It does help that I feel lighter knowing I'm not alone in this journey, thank you!

It is grasping at straws, but that is to be expected when you are in the midst of such a frustrating process. Honestly, it often feels like there is no rhyme or reason to why it works or does not. Even doctors have expressed the same. And when you are used to solving problems, it’s really hard to rationalize why an issue that seems so simple at its core is so difficult to resolve. Give yourself some grace, and good luck with your cycle.