Women Who Relax May Have Better Luck With IVF

A recent article from Reuters Health examines findings by researchers who say women coping with the stresss of infertility treatment by "letting go" may be twice as likely to get pregnant as those that don't.

They (being Dr. Nathalie Rapoport-Hubschman of the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva and her colleagues) suggest that techniques like meditation and similar exercises that relax you may help improve your chances.

The researchers saw a strong correlation between higher IVF success rates and what they call "emotion-focused coping," which includes the use of humor and relaxation to help yourself de-stress and let go. 

The researchers looked at 88 women undergoing IVF, 21 of whom got pregnant. The only factors that independently influenced IVF success, the researchers found, were a woman's age and whether she had high "letting go" coping levels at the beginning of the study.

So what does this mean for you? It means that rather than just dealing with the stress of trying to have a baby, think about taking a step back and thinking about what is contributing to the already monumental amount of stress you're under.

Think about doing things you enjoy that make you happy and ultimately, that help you relax. Whether this is through meditation, a movie night with the girls, a long hot bath or anything else, the more you teach yourself to let go, the easier it may be to conceive.