Share          Print        Comment

Rate this page:

Yoga's Impact on Fertility

A diagnosis of infertility and its accompanying medications and procedures can create an enormous amount of stress - on par with the stress felt by women with heart disease, cancer or HIV-positive status. According to studies, this stress may actually contribute to your inability to conceive and many experts recommend reducing stress as much as possible. Yoga has been used for centuries to calm the mind, stir the spirit, and tone the body, and it may also help you conceive.

A study published in Fertility and Sterility found that women undergoing in vitro fertilization who reported high stress levels produced fewer eggs than those who were more relaxed. In addition, a study performed by Alice Domar, director of the Mind/Body Center for Women's Health at Harvard Medical School, showed that women who had been trying to conceive for one to two years and concentrated on relaxation therapies (including yoga and meditation) were more likely to conceive than the other study participants who were given just fertility medication or participated in a fertility support group.

According to Julie Cade Bon, a certified yoga teacher and owner of Partnership for Pregnancy, which offers retreats for couples struggling with infertility, "Yoga tones and strengthens the muscles that support reproductive organs and improves spinal alignment, enabling better circulation and improved capacity and quality of respiration."

More research is needed to scientifically confirm a cause-and-effect relationship between increased fertility and stress-reduction practices such as yoga; however, reducing infertility-related stress and improving your overall health with yoga certainly can't hurt and, as an added bonus, couples' yoga can even bring you closer to your partner.

There are many different styles of yoga - some quite intense and not beneficial for fertility, such as Ashtanga and Bikram. Instead, choose more soothing, relaxing forms of yoga such as Hatha and Kripalu. In couples' yoga, postures are performed with the help of your partner and can help facilitate better communication and ease relationship stress.

Yoga enhances the flow of energy through energy channels, which are part of the "chakra" system. Fertility yoga focuses on the second chakra, which is important for sexual health. It is located near the lower abdomen and groin and controls the reproductive organs and influences sensation, pleasure, sexuality and fertility. Most fertility yoga sessions focus on deep relaxation poses to reduce stress and to balance the body's hormones, as well as poses designed to increase circulation to the reproductive organs.

If you are interested in fertility yoga, try the following poses at home: Supported Bridge Pose

Lie on your back on the floor. Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor as close to your buttocks as possible; inhale deeply. As you exhale, lift your pelvis and buttocks up off the floor, keeping your feet and thighs parallel to each other. Clasp your hands underneath your buttocks for extra support. Lift your pelvis until your thighs are parallel to the floor, keeping your knees directly above your heels. Hold the pose for as long as you can (30 to 60 seconds), breathing deeply. When you are ready to come out of the pose, exhale while slowly rolling your spine down to the floor until your feet are on the floor near your buttocks.

Legs on Wall Pose

Sit next to a wall with the right side of your body on the wall and your knees bent up to your chest. Roll onto your back while bringing your legs up the wall and straighten them until they form a 90-degree angle with your body. Keep your upper body supported with your elbows on the floor. Slowly release your elbows and lower your entire back down to the floor. Stay here several minutes if you are comfortable. To come out, bring your knees into your chest and roll to your side.

Cobbler's Pose

Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out straight in front of you. Inhale while bringing your feet towards your groin and push the soles of your feet together. Slowly try to lower your knees to the floor while holding your toes with your fingers. Hold this posture, without straining, for one to five minutes.

You can join yoga classes at a yoga studio or gym near you, or you can buy a DVD and perform it in the comfort of your own home. Check out Fertility Yoga with Monica Morell, PhD, which features two levels of modifications to suit your specific needs; Yoga 4 Fertility and, Yoga Practices for Fertility.