18- Stress and Fertility

Question 1

what is fertility?

Answer 1

capacity to reproduce (being pregnant and carrying to term)

Question 2

what is infertility ?

Answer 2

12 months trying with no pregnancy

inability to carry to term

Question 3

what are gonads ?

Answer 3

sex gland in which gametes are produced.

eg ovaries, testes

Question 4

gonad production is regulated by which structures in the brain ?

Answer 4

the hypothalamus

Question 5

what is the HPG axis

Answer 5

hypothalamus releases a releasing hormone that goes to anterior pituitary
ant pituitary releases LH and FSH
gonads released

Question 6

what happens if luteinizing hormone is too high

Answer 6

premature menopause/ testicular failure

Question 7

what happens if LH is too low

Answer 7

failure of gonadal function

Question 8

what triggers ovulation ?

Answer 8

an LH surge

Question 9

what triggers testosterone production ?

Answer 9

LH surge

Question 10

what happens if FSH too high

Answer 10

premature menopause/testicular failure

Question 11

what happens if FSH too low

Answer 11

failure of gonadal function

Question 12

what does FSH do in females (2)

Answer 12

growth and recruitment of ovum

attachment of egg to uterine wall (pregnancy continuation)

Question 13

what does FSH do in male

Answer 13

stimulate maturation of seminiferous tubules and spermatogenesis

Question 14

how does stress affect reproductive function in male rats

Answer 14

stress condition: immobilized for 2 weeks 3 hours a day

glucocorticoid increase, increase in RFRP, associated with inhibited HPG activity, therefore decrease in reproductive function

Question 15

what happens if rats are forced to swim for 3 min in water for 15 days in terms of fertility?

Answer 15

didn’t affect fertility but affected sperm production

Question 16

explain the dose response relationship between stress and fertility

Answer 16

stress affects sexual behavior

longer stress will present a significant decrease in fertility rates

Question 17

why are ejaculatory disorders a fertility issue ?

Answer 17

bc if you can’t ejaculate there is no sperm

Question 18

why can shift work affect fertility

Answer 18

disrupted circadian rhythm

Question 19

do women have less stress in months before they conceive

Answer 19

self-reports say yes

hormone assays say no

Question 20

is sperm quality affected by major stressors ?

Answer 20

yes. the experience of two or more life events was associated with decreased sperm concentration, worse motility and morphology

Question 21

what is the effect of therapy on male fertility

Answer 21

number of healthy sperm higher after therapy

Question 22

what is the relationship between stress and infertility

Answer 22

bidirectional

Question 23

why is infertility especially hard on women?

Answer 23

social pressures on women to have children

Question 24

which kind of women suffer most from infertility stress ?

Answer 24

those whose roles are limited- housewives

Question 25

compared to women with an intermediate level of stress, women with a high level of stress had a …% increased risk of stillbirth .

Answer 25

80

Question 26

women with high stress did not have a higher risk of miscarriage due to stress alone. what was the other factor ?

Answer 26

drug use