"Levels of a hormone when measured in hair can significantly predict the likelihood of pregnancy in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, scientists at The University of Nottingham have revealed.
The new study, funded by Nurture Fertility (Nottingham) and published in Psychoneuroendocrinology, found that elevated levels of the so-called 'stress hormone' cortisol measured in hair were associated with almost a third less chance of conceiving.
This technique enables doctors to measure cumulative hormonal function over the previous 3-6 months and, as such, provides a more reliable measure of hormonal function compared to other techniques using saliva, blood and urine that measure only short term levels of the hormone.
The findings provide the first proper evidence that long term levels of cortisol, which are affected by many lifestyle factors including diet, exercise, caffeine and most notably stress, may play an important role in determining reproductive outcomes. Scientists believe that interventions to reduce cortisol prior to infertility treatment could therefore improve outcomes for the many thousands of couples undergoing IVF each year..."
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