The Effect of Stress on Conception
Part 1: The Polyvagal Theory + Preconception
As our understanding of the nervous system grows deeper and deeper, its role and importance as it pertains to our health and well-being becomes more clear. With this increasing clarity, the evidence is abundant that in order to be our best selves, having an adaptable nervous system is paramount. Our nervous system, as it’s understood now, contains 3 branches. The sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system, the dorsal vagal (freeze) nervous system, and the ventral vagal (social engagement) nervous system.
According to the Polyvagal Theory, the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for fight or flight responses such as fear, panic, anger, irritation, anxiety, or rage. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, blood pressure, heart rate, adrenaline, blood clotting, fuel availability and blood circulation to vital organs all increase. As these functions increase, other functions, such as fuel storage, insulin activity, immune response, digestion and relational ability all decrease in preparation to meet the physical energy demands necessary to withstand a “fight or flight” situation. Remaining in this state for a prolonged period of time will deplete physical, mental and emotional/etheric energy rapidly.
The dorsal vagal, or “freeze”, nervous system is a result of increased arousal, beyond the “fight or flight” response where the person can experience intense feelings of overwhelm. This overwhelm can manifest as dissociation, helplessness, depression, numbness, shame, hopelessness, or immobility. This state of activation is responsible for an increase in fuel storage, insulin activity, and an increase in endorphins to help withstand the pain of this state of being. As this response continues, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, muscle tone, facial expressions, social behavior, eye contact, sexual response/fertility, and immune response all decrease to help the body to physically withstand this emergency state while conserving as many resources as possible.
Finally, the goal is to remain in the ventral vagal, or “social engagement” state. This state of being is marked by feelings of safety, connection, joy, groundedness, openness, compassion and mindfulness. This is the state where healing can take place and our bodies can easily adapt to stressors without becoming stuck in one of the previously mentioned states.
The Polyvagal Theory
During the time leading up to conception, it is crucial that both mother and father reduce their stress in order to achieve the most optimal outcome for their unborn child. Stress can be physical, chemical or emotional, but the effects of each type of stress cause the same cascade of events within the body because the body doesn’t know how to differentiate between the three types of stressors.
Physical stress can look like too much exercise, not enough nourishment, a physically demanding job, inadequate sleep, injuries, or illnesses. Many women fall into the trap of overexercising leading up to conception and beyond, without adequate recovery or nutrition, leading to depletion of cellular energy and increased inflammation. When the body doesn’t have sufficient resources to restore the itself due to constant stress of being broken down due to one of the physical stressors mentioned before, it cannot be expected to easily conceive a baby. Conceiving and growing a baby takes immense energy and the demands only increase as gestation advances. It is critical to build up nutrient stores and decrease as much physical stress as possible before trying to conceive so that your baby has access to all that it needs to thrive inside of the womb and beyond.
Chemical stress can be caused by medications, pesticides on foods, contaminated water, harmful chemicals in personal care products, heavy metals, toxins in the air, processed foods laden with preservatives, artificial colors/dyes and other toxic chemicals. These chemicals cause a stress response within the body as it detects these things as invaders and tries its best to eliminate them. During its attempt to eliminate these intruders, the body must exert a lot of energy to force these toxins out through (usually blocked and impaired) detox pathways. With these pathways being blocked, the toxins will next collect inside our body tissues, organs and inside of fat cells where they are walled off to protect the body from the damage they cause if circulating freely. Eliminating incoming chemical stressors while detoxing the body of the already imbedded chemicals can go a long way in aiding in conception. Did you know that a study was done that found nearly 300 toxic chemicals in the cord blood of newborn babies in 2004. Nearly 20 years ago! Can you imagine how many more toxins have been accumulated in our world and bodies since then? In order to give children the best shot at a thriving, vibrant life, we must be conscious of what we’re putting in and on our bodies long before we think of conceiving children.
The last form of stress is the most commonly thought of: emotional stress. This stressor is commonly written off as “normal” and can take the form of life stressors such as financial stress, trauma, death in the family, moving, new job, or can be the result of negative emotions, like fear, anger, sadness, hopelessness, defeat, rejection, worry or panic. These emotions carry a vibrational frequency that is incompatible with healing and causes a cascade of hormonal responses throughout the body when it senses the energy of these emotions. This is a protection mechanism for the body to help it stay alive, but as mentioned earlier, the body doesn’t know the difference between worry of an unproven situation thought up in the mind versus an actual life or death threat. The body responds to both situations the same way because it is so wise and thinks that the person is experiencing these emotions as a result of an actual threat, but responding this drastically to situations that are projections of the mind is a waste of resources and wreaks havoc on the overall health of the person experiencing these emotions. How many times have you heard stories of women going to the doctor for anxiety, depression or panic attacks, only to come out of the appointment feeling more defeated and hopeless and with a prescription to numb the symptoms of the imbalance (and contribute to the overall chemical toxin load with a foreign medication)? This is not normal. Common, maybe. But, definitely not normal.
As you can see, having an adaptable nervous system that can modulate stress appropriately, without becoming stuck in the sympathetic or dorsal vagal state is key to overall health and the ability of the body to heal itself. When the body is constantly fighting against itself and its stressors, it does not have the resources available to call in and sustain life inside of the womb without seriously depleting the mother and causing potentially adverse outcomes for both the mother and baby. Stay tuned for the next post as I discuss the solution to these problems and how to calm our nervous systems in preparation for conception!