Causes & Treatment
Meditation for fertility – can it help increase fertility rates? Here’s the expert 101
Sophie Baybrook | 19 Apr 2020
If your anxiety is through the roof (read up on fertility-related anxiety support while you’re here!) your TTC journey feels like a rollercoaster of hope and disappointment, or your bathroom cabinet is full of abandoned treatments – fertility meditation might be exactly what you need.
We spoke with top fertility specialists and holistic experts to explore how meditation can support fertility – helping to lower stress, boost compassion, and even improve conception rates.
From calming your nervous system and balancing hormones to cultivating a more positive mindset, the benefits go way beyond relaxation.
But before we dive into how it works, let’s break down what fertility meditation actually is.
What is fertility meditation, really?
Meditation works by quieting the mind and relaxing the body, with the goal of increasing calmness, psychological balance, positivity, and overall well-being.
“Fertility-specific meditation helps women let go of their negative mindset,” says Saskia Röell, Fertility Coach, Author, Speaker, and Founder of Get Pregnant Now.
Saskia explains that the practice helps women “move away from negative thoughts like: ‘What if I am too old?’ or ‘What if my eggs are too old?’” Instead, it “offers guidance to move toward a more positive and hopeful mindset.”
Beyond fostering positivity, fertility meditation offers many other benefits.
The benefits of meditation for fertility
Reduced stress
Anyone trying to conceive (TTC) knows that stress can feel unavoidable, but what’s less commonly discussed is how deeply it’s connected to fertility itself. Research shows that high stress levels can directly impact conception rates, creating a frustrating cycle that’s hard to break.
“Stress has a damaging effect on our body,” confirms Harley Street Fertility Clinic’s Director, Dr. Geetha Venkat. “It has a negative effect on egg and sperm quality, and on pregnancy rates.”
Newlife Fertility Clinic’s Medical Director, Mr. Amin Gafar, echoes this, telling The Ribbon Box, “Chronic stress can affect ovulation by altering the hypothalamus functions which controls the release of the hormones responsible for ovulation.”
To interrupt this cycle, managing stress needs to be a priority—and that’s where fertility meditation comes in. “If there’s stress in the body, cortisol levels go up, and hormones go out of balance,” explains Saskia.
By helping to regulate cortisol and restore hormonal balance, fertility meditation offers a powerful tool for reducing stress and supporting reproductive health.
Balancing hormones
In addition to balancing cortisone levels, meditation also triggers the release of DHEA, a hormone that supports cell longevity, including eggs. As Dr. Venkat explains, “Meditation releases another hormone, DHEA, which is known to prolong the life of cells, including eggs.”
Over time, regular meditation may improve egg and sperm quality, potentially boosting fertility.
Meditation also increases oxytocin, the “happiness” or “love” hormone. Oxytocin plays a key role in childbirth, bonding with the baby, and milk production, while also enhancing overall emotional well-being.
Increased compassion
“Infertility brings several common feelings: a desperate wanting, victimhood, jealousy, and impatience,” explains Intuitive Womb Massage Therapist Joanne Sissons.
Many people trying to conceive (TTC) struggle with feelings of resentment towards pregnant friends, tension in their relationships, and intense self-blame.
“Over time, each of these negative thoughts can sadly rob us of our self-love and self-worth,” Sissons adds.
Meditation helps cultivate self-compassion and kindness, making it easier to navigate these emotions and strengthen relationships.
Gafar explains more: “By turning your attention away from distracting thoughts and focusing on the present moment, meditation has been shown to improve self-compassion. This will have a positive impact on fertility, improving the chances of achieving pregnancy, both spontaneously and following fertility treatment.”
Joanne, who used fertility meditation during her own fertility struggles, tells us how her practice increased her levels of self-compassion.
“Meditation, or repeating a positive mantra, can really make a difference,” Joanne explains, “those practising can expect to reconnect to themselves in new ways. How do I know? Because meditation saved me by drastically increasing my self-compassion when I was trying to conceive.”
Getting started with meditation for fertility
“Meditation can seem very daunting,” Joanne explains. “We’re not used to slowing down and setting aside time for ourselves.
Plus, there are so many different ways to meditate – even this can prevent us from giving it a go. “But let me share my simple theory,” Joanne continues, “if you can pause, close your eyes and become aware of your breath then you’ve entered a state of meditation, and once in that place of calm, you can’t get it wrong.”
Let’s look into different meditation techniques, including the more common and a few fertility-specific ideas, to find out what best suits you.
Fertility meditation – try these options
1. Mindfulness
You’ve probably heard of mindfulness before. At its core, it’s about tuning into your body, thoughts, feelings, and breath – heightening emotional awareness while creating space to step back when needed. The result? Sharper judgment and a deeper sense of compassion.
“Mindfulness meditation can help activate our parasympathetic nervous system, which ultimately calms the mind and body,” explains Healing Infertility Founder, Amira Posner. “It allows us to rebalance our system and return to a place of equilibrium.”
Best for: Easing stress and supporting hormone balance.
2. Visualisation
“Often, at times when we are dealing with struggles like infertility, our self-talk and perspective have a strong negativity bias,” says Amira. “We have the power to alter this by bringing new information into our system.” This is where visualisation for fertility and mantra meditation (keep reading for more on mantra) come in.
Visualization is the practice of mentally picturing what you desire to cultivate a positive and hopeful mindset, which can support manifestation.
In fertility meditation, visualization involves imagining yourself with a baby bump, picturing your baby growing in your womb, and envisioning the moment you hold your baby for the first time.
This practice is thought to help promote “a fertile mind and body, allowing yourself to be nourished with thoughts of possibility and capability,” explains Amira.
Best for: changing your mindset to one of positivity and hope.
3. Mantra meditation for fertility
“Mantras are another great technique to try,” Joanne says. “Repeating mantras can quickly snap you out of a low vibrating thought pattern. The day I stopped ‘wanting’ and started ‘welcoming’ my baby, I felt a positive shift within my whole body.”
Like visualisations, mantra meditation is about positively shifting your mindset to manifest something. But instead of using visualisations, you repeat a word that resonates with you and your intention for your practice.
Common mantras for fertility meditation include your future baby’s name and words like ‘strength’, ‘tranquillity’, ‘fertility’ or ‘baby’.
“Let’s look at the words for a moment,” Joanne continues. “When you say, ‘I want a baby’, the body becomes tense, and the mind is desperately seeking. But when you say, ‘I welcome a baby’, the body becomes wide open, and it creates a softening within the heart.”
Best for: affirming and creating a space for positivity.
Other types of fertility meditation
Hypnotherapy, mindful activities and writing gratitudes are just a few of the other means of meditation you can introduce into your fertility journey.
Find further information on fertility meditation practices in our interview on the mindfulness and fertility connection with Andreia Trigo, multi-award-winning nurse consultant, fertility coach, TEDx speaker and author.
Sure! Here’s a more polished version with improved flow, while keeping your links intact:
Other types of fertility meditation
In addition to traditional practices, you might explore hypnotherapy, mindful activities, or even writing down daily gratitudes as powerful forms of fertility-focused meditation.
