Childhood stress ‘can have a negative impact on female fertility’

A new study has provided evidence that childhood stress can make it harder for females to get pregnant in later life.

The research examined data from 774 women of reproductive age, 195 of whom were pregnant. Using a combination of in-person interviews and take-home questionnaires, it analysed fertility difficulties, menstrual cycle irregularities and adverse childhood experiences.

Published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, the findings revealed that women who had experienced events such as abuse, neglect, household dysfunction or parental substance abuse were more likely to face fertility difficulties.

Childhood stress was also linked to abnormal absences of menstruation lasting three months or more, while these individuals also took a longer time to get pregnant.

The researchers said the findings support their theory that "early life stressors may predispose an individual to adaptively suppress fertility when situations are less than optimal, leading to periods of fertility difficulties even following previous births".

This study was conducted by researchers based at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans and the Boston University School of Medicine.