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How Does Stress Affect Sex Sex and Reproduction How does stress affect Sex? Does stress affect sex and the reproductive organs? This is a question some of us ask when we're stressed and we notice that our menstrual cycles become irregular, erections are more difficult to achieve, and we generally lose our interest in sex. Testosterone and Loss of Erection The male reproductive system functions in the following way: The brain releases the Luteinizing Hormone Releasing Hormone (LHRH), which stimulates the Pituitary Gland to release Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH). LH in turn stimulates the testes to release testosterone.Add stress to the above equation and the whole reproductive system is inhibited. LHRH concentrations decline, and then followed by LH and FSH and then the testes eventually shut down completely which, results in a decline in circulating testosterone levels. This has been measured during physical stress. Injury, illness, starvation and surgery all drive down testosterone levels. Anthropologists have shown that in societies prone to high levels of energetic stress, e.g Nepalese villagers, that testosterone levels are significantly lower than Melbourne Baysiders. Subtle psychological stress situations such as lowering the dominance rank of social primates shows a decrease in the levels of testosterone. A similar reaction occurs with soldiers or officers that undergo severe physical and psychological stress through training. All this happens because the brain releases endorphins and enkephalins which act to block LHRH from the hypothalmus. So when runners who run 50 to 80Km per week reach their runners high, then they are experiencing endorphin secretion which inhibits testosterone release. Hey! Good Looking It's very important for many of us in this modern day era to look good. So often males are out there jogging 20/30 kms three times a week or 60 to 80 km a week.How does stress affect sex? A little exercise is necessary to stay fit and healthy. A little bit more is also good. But too much exercise can actually be detrimental to our bodies. Often 30 year old joggers are showing up with decalcified bones, increase risk of stress fractures and sideways curvature of the spine. In many cases their skeletons look like those of seventy year olds. Male Reproduction During Stress For a male to have an erection, his parasympathetic nervous system must be turned on. This causes a hemodynamic erection, i.e. blood flow into the penis is increased, the exit route via the veins is blocked, and the penis fills with blood and stiffens.If you've already got an erection you'll have problems as well. You're having a good time with someone, you're cruising, parasympathetic to your penis and having a wonderful time. Suddenly you start worrying about the accountability system you designed at work and - BINGO! - you switch from parasympathetic to sympathetic far quicker than you wanted and you've ejaculated prematurely. Studies have shown that 50% of the visits to doctors complaining of reproductive dysfunction turn out to be due to psychogenic impotency rather than organic impotency. No disease, just stress. Thus stress will knock out male sexual responses quite readily. Problems with erections are more disruptive than problems with testosterone secretion. Testosterone production would have to shut down completely to affect performance. If you're not getting an erection than forget it. Although there are some commercial remedies to assist erection dysfunction, these are just a temporary solution and not a cure. A proper cure for stress would be to introduce TM into your daily routine. Females - Lengthened Cycles and Amenorrhea The female reproductive system functions similar to the male in the following way: LHRH is released from brain, which releases LH and FSH from the pituitary. FSH stimulates the ovaries to release eggs and LH stimulates the ovaries to synthesize estrogen.In the first half of the menstrual cycle levels of LHRH, LH and FSH and estrogen build up towards ovulation. In the second half of the cycle, Progesterone, then stimulates the uterine walls to mature, s that an egg, if fertilized just after ovulation can implant there and develop into an embryo. Too Much Sport May Inhibit Reproduction Females exhibit a small amount of male sex hormone in their bloodstream, which is released from the adrenal glands. The concentration of these adrenal androgens is usually around 5% of that in males.The problem is solved by an enzyme in the fat cells of females that eliminates these androgens by converting them to estrogen. What happens when there's been a crop failure and you're starving. Your body weight drops, fat stores are depleted and there isn't enough fat around to convert androgen into estrogen. 
One of the Hallmarks of Anorexia is the disruption of reproduction in young women who starve themselves. Loss of body fat leading to androgen buildup is one of the mechanisms by which reproduction is also impaired in women who are extremely active physically. Serious dancers or runners, in whom puberty can be delayed for years, where menstrual cycles can become irregular or cease entirely. How does stress affect sex? Many of the stress elements in males apply to females as well in causing problems with the reproduction system. Just as in male athletes, the same occurs in female athletes, where, endorphins and enkephalins will inhibit LHRH release, prolactin and glucocorticoids affect the ovaries, making them less responsive to LH. The results in less secretion of LH, FSH and estrogen making the likelihood of ovulation decrease. This results in the first half of the menstrual cycle being extended, making the entire cycle longer and less regular to the point where the whole system can shut down. The loss of estrogen with sustained stress has some further consequences. Estrogen helps recalcify bone. This is a reason why osteoporosis becomes a serious problem for post menopausal women. Estrogen also helps protect the heart against atherosclerosis. Remember, stress can endanger the cardio-vascular system by lowering estrogen levels.
The Best Form of Contraception Prolactin is the hormone that inhibits the reproductive system most effectively during stress. It inhibits ovulation. It plays a major role in the suppression of reproduction during stress and exercise and is also the main reason why breastfeeding is such an effective form of contraception.Breast feeding causes prolactin secretion. There's a reflex loop that goes straight from the nipples to the hypothalmus. When stimulated, the hypothalmus signals the pituitary to secrete prolactin, which in sufficient quantities causes reproduction to cease. A prime example of how this works in nature can be seen amongst the Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. The males and females have plenty of sexual intercourse, they don't use contraceptive but the women only bear children every four years. It so happens that the women nurse their young on a regular basis for a period of about three years. This breastfeeding at regular intervals, around the clock, maintains prolactin levels at such a level to inhibit reproduction. As soon as the child is weened off the mothers breast, the menstrual cycle then kicks in again and after intercourse, the women fall pregnant. Interesting to observe, is that in western societies, women have ca. 500 menstrual cycles in their lifetimes, whereas women of the hunter/gatherer way of life, the life that human history has experienced through most of its development, as with the Bushmen have ca 20 menstrual cycles in their lifetime. Pregnancies occur as early as 13/14 and continue through their lives, bearing up to eight children. Infertility How does stress affect sex? Few medical maladies have as much of an adverse impact on the human psyche as infertility. In terms of psychological stress, the strain place on relationships, the disruption of daily activities, inability to concentrate at work, estrangement from family and friends, all of which can lead to depression.The problems with technology is that it is an extremely stressful experience to go through with it and it costs an absolute fortune as well. The stress induced factors increase by putting yourself through the actual processes. Imagine, weeks of numerous, painful daily shots of synthetic hormones and hormone suppressors that can affect your mood swings and mental state dramatically. Daily blood draws, daily sonograms, is today's news going to be good or bad? A surgical procedure and then the wait to see whether you have to repeat the whole process again. The worst thing about all of this experimentation is that it rarely works. Success rate sat clinics are often distorted and are usually very low. Going through an IVF cycle has about a 10 - 20 percent chance of working. It seems that going through all these stressful procedures is the reason for the low success rate. It might be interesting for women to closely look at what is causing all the stress that creates the infertility and work on those areas instead of subjecting themselves to the torturous procedures of IVF. My ex-partner! and I unsuccessfully went through the IVF procedure several times. She even had two abortions because of fetal deaths. The experience was an absolute horror and eventually destroyed our relationship. Funnily enough, during all of this, we spoke to many other couples that had gone through the same procedures and failed. It was only then, that she, realizing that there was no hope to get pregnant began to relax, and strangely enough, after all the pain and torture and expense, fell pregnant. Naturally!
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