Treating Stress and Improving Fertility with Massage

If you have having trouble getting pregnant, stress may be a major cause of your infertility. Recent scientific studies suggest that up to 30 percent of all fertility issues may be caused by stress. The way that stress interferes with conception is not fully understood, but it may be the result of the production of certain hormones (cortisol and epinephrine, in particular) that interfere with pregnancy. Reducing stress is also thought to help promote the development of proteins that are essential for egg implantation in the uterus.

Stress can become a vicious cycle when it comes to pregnancy. Not being able to get pregnant when you are trying to can be very stress inducing in and of itself. In addition, many standard fertility treatments such as IVF are very stressful procedures to undergo.

There are, however, some important natural fertility treatments that can reduce stress levels significantly and that have been scientifically proven to improve conception rates. Two of the most promising natural fertility treatments that help reduce stress levels are fertility massage and acupuncture for fertility.

Many different types of massage techniques have been shown to reduce stress levels. Fertility massage is known as an "organ massage" since it focuses on the reproductive organs and aims to both reduce stress levels and promote the functioning of reproductive systems. Fertility massage is offered by many massage centers, and you can also try to learn some of the techniques yourself through courses and information available online. Fertility massage treatments can last anywhere from a few minutes up to half an hour or longer, and you may experience some side effects after your first treatments such as soreness and heavy menstrual flow during your period (the heavy menstrual flow is a sign that the therapy is working and clearing up old blood blockages in your reproductive system).

Fertility massage should only be used prior to becoming pregnant and should be stopped immediately after conceiving. Both fertility massage and acupuncture appear to be the most effective when combined with other fertility treatment methods.