Stress may be connected to infertility concerns in women: Research

The findings of a small animal study suggest that female rats exposed to screams may have lower ovarian reserve and fertility.

The findings were published in Endocrinology, a publication of the Endocrine Society. The reproductive potential left in a woman’s two ovaries based on the amount and quality of eggs is referred to as the ovarian reserve. A woman is born with a limited quantity of eggs, and her body is incapable of producing any more. The loss of normal reproductive capacity in the ovaries due to a reduced count or quality of the remaining eggs is referred to as diminished ovarian reserve.

“We examined the effect of stress on ovarian reserve using a scream sound model in rats,” said Wenyan Xi, PhD, of the Second Affiliation Hospital of Xi’an Jiao Tong University in Xian, China. “We found that female rats exposed to the screaming sound had diminished ovarian reserve and decreased fertility.”

The researchers investigated the effect of stress on ovarian reserve in female rats using a scream sound paradigm. They subjected female rats to a screaming sound for three weeks and studied how it affected their sex hormones, the amount and quality of their eggs, and their capacity to become pregnant and produce offspring after mating.

They discovered that screams reduced oestrogen and anti-Mullerian hormone levels in rats. The Anti-Mullerian hormone is a hormone produced by the ovaries that aids in the formation of reproductive organs. Estrogens are a group of hormones that play a vital role in growth and reproductive development. Screaming also reduced the amount and quality of the women’s eggs, resulting in fewer litres.

Using a scream sound paradigm, the researchers evaluated the effect of stress on ovarian reserve in female rats. They exposed female rats to screams for three weeks to see how it altered their sex hormones, the volume and quality of their eggs, and their ability to become pregnant and produce children after mating.

Screams were shown to lower oestrogen and anti-Mullerian hormone levels in rats. The ovaries create anti-Mullerian hormone, which assists in the creation of reproductive organs. Estrogens are a class of hormones that are essential for growth and reproductive development. Screaming also lowered the number and quality of eggs produced by the women, resulting in fewer litters.