Yoga and Infertility

According to the American Academy of Political and Social Science (1990) there are several important factors which affect fertility rates in the U.S. “Very recent developments of note include the increasingly important place of cohabitation in the life course, the continuing postponement of marriage, and the rise in birth rates to women in their thirties. Explanations are examined that emphasize both the increased economic opportunities for women and the cultural shift toward a greater emphasis on individualism and self-fulfillment. In the concluding section, it is argued that concerns about fertility and the family in the years ahead will focus less on the number of children than on whether their upbringing and education will be adequate to meet the needs of a society with a relatively small labor force and a large dependent population.” Although women are making choices about their own destiny and whether or not their futures will include motherhood, many women are struggling to become pregnant, not matter their upward social mobility, education, or overall physical health.

Infertility can be caused by a number of factors. These include congenital abnormalities, scarring from a prior pelvic infection, endometriosis, immune system problems, irregular ovulation and failure to ovulate. There is also mounting evidence that the estrogen dominance that many women experience is caused by environmental toxins in our food, and water supply. Male infertility is linked to smoking, drinking and pesticide exposure.  Other reasons are blockage of sperm: The vas deferens which carry sperm from the testicles to the penis can be blocked for a variety of reasons including prior vasectomy, injury, infection or physical anomaly; many types of infections can cause sterility or low sperm counts in men. These can be recent infections or from childhood. Common infections can be mumps or certain types of sexually transmitted infections (STI). Diabetes, hypertension and other problems can all affect the fertility of men. A chronic illness like hypertension or heart problems, as well as paralysis can make it difficult for man to maintain an erection.  Yoga helps to alleviate hypertension greatly (see the macro yoga article dealing entitled Yoga and the Heart). Some may be from hormonal issues of testicular failure, while others may be from treatments for certain illnesses and cancer like chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Although not all infertility issues can be cured with yoga practice, it can help in a number of ways.

Stress reduction is the biggest way that yoga helps with infertility issues.  Put simply, a woman under stress in less fertile.  Her desire to have sex is reduced and her ability to become pregnant is therefore also reduced. The body decreases blood flow to the pelvic region in times of stress so that it can be sent to other areas that might more readily be needed – such as the outer limbs – during a fight or flight scenario.  The body has no way of knowing that you are stressed out about situations or people who place no imminent danger on your life.  It simply responds with physiological symptoms that will ready a person for a stressful situation.  Yoga also helps to reduce some of the activity of an overly eager sympathetic nervous system, while increasing the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system.  The parasympathetic nervous system controls the functions of the reproductive system. Encyclopedia Brittanica states that, “The sexual response in both males and females can be defined by three physiological events. The first stage begins with psychogenic impulses in higher neural centers, which travel through multineuronal pathways and cause excitation of sacral parasympathetic outflow innervating vascular tissues of the penis or clitoris.” If the parasympathetic nervous system is in low gear, then the sexual response is less likely to happen. The practice of yoga helps to make sure that it does.
Prolonged stress also has an effect on a woman’s menstrual cycle.  Higher levels of the stress hormone, Cortisol can cause the cycle to stop altogether, and interfere with the release of eggs from the ovaries. Stress adds to the incident of miscarriage also.  Some studies suggest that the miscarriage rate can be up to twice as high for women who are stressed during their pregnancy.  Stress also leads to labor complications and pregnancy complications once a woman is able to become pregnant. Yoga can help to eliminate all these problems.  Furthermore, yogis believe that a woman can actually be taught to relax the pelvic muscles, in order to increase blood flow there, and thereby increase the health of the reproductive organs.


Harvard Medical School as well as several other Universities and Medical Hospitals have conducted research on the benefits of yoga on the reproductive system.  In a study lead by Dr. Alica Domar at Harvard’s Mind/Body Medical Institute, women in a control group who practiced gentle yoga, guided imagery, and cognitive behavioral therapy realized a 55 percent chance of viable pregnancy after previously trying to become pregnant unsuccessfully for at least two to three years.


In men, yoga helps to reduce stress, increases heart health which can improve the maintenance of an erection and sperm counts. Yoga helps reduce the body of harmful toxins which lead to lower sperm counts. Yoga practice increases blood flow everywhere in the body, and with certain practices, particularly in the pelvic region.  Some men can have a varicose vein in the testicle. The varicosity damages the blood flow to the testes, making sperm production slowed or stopped. Yoga helps to cure this problem. Yoga cures diabetes which is another disease which affects a man’s fertility. Men who are less stressed also tend to have a higher sexual response and greater confidence, thus elevating their sexual potency. Although congenital defects in the testes cannot be cured by yoga, nor much of the damage that has wrecked a man’s reproductive system via an STD (sexually transmitted disease), many of the other ailments associated with fertility in men can be treated with yoga practice.


Yoga really can help make healthy babies. Everything from poor sleep to stress to menstrual dysfunction can be aided by regular yoga practice. Once we relax, the body is more likely to have the resource it needs to participate in the miracle of making life.





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