International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Stress can have a negative impact on people's chances of conceiving, it has been claimed.

Neil Shah, the director of the Stress Management Society in the UK, said that people who are stressed can suffer from a low libido and may also find that their organs that are responsible for reproduction don't function efficiently

"Men can suffer from things such as erectile dysfunction but also the stress will cause adrenalin and cortisol to flood the body, which puts you into a low level of fertility. This means that stressed people are less likely to conceive," he stated.

Mr Shah added that there is also thought to be a link between stress and likelihood of miscarriage.

He advised anyone trying to have a baby to relax and enjoy the experience.

His comments come after research from the University of Oxford, UK and the US National Institutes of Health found that high stress levels may delay women getting pregnant.

Women with high levels of the stress hormone alpha-amylase had a 12 per cent lower chance of becoming pregnant.

Posted by Paul Robertson