Scientific Research Shows IVF Success Rates are Significantly Increased with Stress Reduction Using Hypnosis
If you or anyone you know is undergoing IVF treatment or indeed contemplating it, you will know just how stressful the process can be.
To be just told to ‘relax’ or ‘keep calm’ in this situation, as you know, can be upsetting and frustrating. Relaxing when faced with what most people call an ‘ordeal’ feels almost impossible. We know in our hearts that the ‘advice’ and ‘words of wisdom’ that people dish out does indeed come from a place of concern and caring… but it doesn’t always feel that way.
In order to be clear let’s ask a few questions!
- Does the advice you receive to relax have any scientific value?
- Even if you feel that you can relax, thus reduce your stress, what difference will it make, what is the benefit of relaxing?
- How, for goodness sake, do you relax when you are faced with a very important, challenging and life changing event that matters so very much?
So let’s just look at the first point.
Does the advice you receive to relax have any scientific value?
You may well have heard stories about couples that have been unsuccessful in achieving a pregnancy only to experience the joy of adoption. Yes and then, as if by a miracle, they find that they are pregnant! What is the physiological reason for this, after years and years of trying all sorts of methods to become pregnant? How can their success rate suddenly improve?
Before we explore that further, let’s just explore what is stress exactly and what actually happens when you are stressed.
What is stress?
Stress can be described as a negative emotional state in response to events that exceed the person’s ability to cope. [Lazarus, 1993]
High expectations of coping and adequate resources may result in little stress whilst low expectations of coping and inadequate resources may result in high levels of stress. However not everyone responds to a given ‘stressor’ in the same way or even at all.
It is important to recognise that not all stress is bad or indeed unpleasant. For example getting married is enjoyable but anyone who has got married knows that there is an element of stress involved……going on holiday or Christmas is fantastic but can also be stressful…However working in a environment where too much is expected of you or indeed any human being, is stressful…doing something that goes against the grain can be stressful like lying, even if it is a white lie, it raises our levels of stress a notch.
So what actually happens when we get stressed?
Above your kidneys are the adrenal glands. Their function is to secrete adrenaline and cortisone in response to a perceived stress.
So for just a moment let’s just imagine that there is an escaped lion from the local zoo and you spotted it outside your window!
Yes you’d feel stressed…you would be very unusual not to and dare I say you’d be a little bit peculiar to continue all relaxed…minding your own business…unless of course you are an expert lion keeper!
Ok, so there’s a lion outside your window, so immediately, on seeing the lion, even before the thought of ‘oh my goodness I am in danger’ triggers the adrenal gland to secrete adrenaline and if the threat continues then cortisol is also secreted. The function of adrenaline and cortisol are for fight or flight. These hormones are released by just a mere thought!!! They redirect the blood and alter the function of many systems, but for the purposes of pregnancy and IVF the hypothalamus is affected.
The hypothalamus is responsible for the hormones that healthy fertility relies on.
In this instance ovulation may be delayed or prevented. Many women note that their periods are late when they are getting married and indeed women have reported backpacking around the world and found that their periods cease only to return when they were are on familiar territory. The scientific reason is the action of adrenaline and cortisol….because the brain doesn’t understand that there are different stresses, it treats all stress as though there may be in imminent danger…after all, no one in their right mind would conceive whilst running from a lion!
From the IVF perspective especially the egg transfer, back into the uterus, it is experienced as a very emotional experience and perceived by the brain as a threat. Thus the hormonal survival mechanism is immediately activated. Stress not only affects ovulation (the ovum released from the ovary) but also the ability of the egg to imbed into the uterus and for the pregnancy to continue.
As with ovulation, the embedding phase is altered so that the uterus is not hospitable to the new egg as it is too busy trying to survive a standoff with a lion…again no one in their right mind would become pregnant whilst running from a lion!!!
Even if you feel that you can relax, thus reduce your stress, what difference will it make, what is the benefit of relaxing?
As the brain doesn’t distinguish between a lion chasing you versus an emotionally charged situation that makes you a little bit frightened, it still has the same response BUT you are NOT in danger whilst undergoing IVF treatment. So being able to reduce and indeed banish the adrenaline and cortisol response at will, will in turn allow your uterus to contract and uterine walls to be filled with a rich blood supply enhancing the success of Egg Transfer.
How for goodness sake, do you relax when you are faced with a very important, challenging and life changing event that matters so very much?
Well trying to relax at will when you are under pressure and with no support is not easy. However hypnotherapy and self hypnosis has been long considered an effective means of reducing and learning coping mechanisms to counter stress.
Whereas being told to “relax” or “calm down” by friends or family can actually increase stress levels, hypnotherapy actually works with (and not against) the minds intentions to achieve a positive outcome and naturally helps you to relax and manage stress.
The wonderful research done by the Fertility and IVF Unit, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel into the ‘Impact of hypnosis during embryo transfer on the outcome of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer: a case-control study’ demonstrates how with the use of hypnosis to reduce stress and therefore enhance the healthy action of the uterus significantly increases the success rate of IVF.
This is especially effective during the egg transfer stage which is the most delicate procedure during the process. In fact their research suggests that the success is increased by over double those who didn’t receive hypnosis. The research and my clinical findings and the success of my many clients undergoing IVF, in my practice, have been the basis of our innervision ® title ‘Successful IVF’ which will enable you to reduce and rid yourself of the stress, with tools to use to enhance the success of your IVF experience and outcome.
Should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me 
Successful IVF from innervision ® is a safe, effective way to manage stress effectively during the IVF process. You can listen to free samples here.
The audio tracks are available for immediate download (mp3s and a pdf booklet) so you can start benefiting immediately or as audio CDs and a printed booklet mailed directly to you.
What is Successful IVF from innervision?
If you have any questions we’d love to hear from you
Related posts:
- New Scientific Method May Significantly Enhance IVF Success Rates An Oxford-based team of doctors conducted a trial that found...
- Hypnosis Can Improve Your Whole Well Being – Not Just Your Brain Sadly, for many people their only experience of hypnosis is...
- Research Links Stress and IVF Success Rates In 2009, a Denmark Research team at the University of...
- Don’t Miss Any of Your Holiday This Year Are you, or anyone that you know, often ill on...
- Reduce Stress with Self Hypnosis Downloads There are many different aspects during our everyday life that...
