Infertility and the Mind-Body Connection

From the Beginning...

Many women fail to understand that the biggest challenge they face in having the kind of life they want comes as a result of the way their basic ideas about life and family were formed. From birth onward, long before being able to formulate ideas of our own, wordless messages and lessons build up through experiences that are repeated over and over again within key relationships and the brain distills the experiences into beliefs. We all derive our basic understanding of who we are and how the world around us works through our earliest experiences with the people and world we live in.

...Mind-Body Concepts are Created

This concept holds true in relation to attitudes about sexuality, conception, pregnancy and childbirth. Psychoneuroimmunology is essentially mind-body research, and connects how the hormonal, immune, and nervous systems are influenced by every thought, attitude and emotion - even the ones that occur without awareness. As young children we internalize our parents attitudes about the body and its creative functions, as well as perceptions about how babies become part of a family (easily, with difficulty, with joy or sorrow), and whether children are a loved and cherished part of the family or a pain that needs to be endured. We learn whether it is safe and good to have children, and whether it is safe to be a child in our family.

How It Happens Hormonally

The hormonal profile in the body (endocrinology) is a critical factor in healthy fertility. It organizes to act out within our bodies whatever our mental and emotional perceptions tell it. Unconscious emotions have a very profound effect upon the balance of the mind and body and when there are negatives, such as unconscious emotions related to neglect, trauma or loss in childhood, those stored bits of information later create blockages that show up as "unexplained infertility".

It all works in a subtle way. Hormones that are released when there is an emotional upset, tension or anxiety cause a disruption in the gland secretions of the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland secrets luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), both hormones are necessary for menstruation and conception. The disruption can cause irregular menstrual periods or suppression of ovulation. The brain is also linked to the ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes through nerve fibers in the spinal cord. Every thought and feeling, no matter how subtle, is registered in the neuromuscular structure and produces tension in the cells and muscles. The messages may manifest in organ dysfunction, pain, disease, and in infertility.

Reprogramming the Mind

The stories abound of couples who tried unsuccessfully to have children. They endured IVF and pregnancy losses and spent thousands of dollars on treatments only to be disappointed over again. They finally decided to adopt a baby and, within a very short time after the adoption, they became pregnant - without any assistance. It is true that by ending the stress of the fruitless treatments they relaxed and de-stressed. However, another thing to consider is the fact that their biology restructured to embrace their new feelings, behaviors, and love. They became fully engaged in being parents and their bodies understood and learned that being parents is a happy and wonderfully fulfilling venture - and their bodies responded accordingly.

It is worth considering some inner investigation into the silent answers carried within regarding pregnancy, fertility, birth and babies that were arrived at in the years growing up within your family. By assessing the answers, a new freedom may be found that allows for a journey into mastering your inner life. Who knows, you just may end up pregnant.