18- Stress and Fertility Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in 18- Stress and Fertility Deck (26)
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1
Q

what is fertility?

A

capacity to reproduce (being pregnant and carrying to term)

2
Q

what is infertility ?

A

12 months trying with no pregnancy

inability to carry to term

3
Q

what are gonads ?

A

sex gland in which gametes are produced.

eg ovaries, testes

4
Q

gonad production is regulated by which structures in the brain ?

A

the hypothalamus

5
Q

what is the HPG axis

A

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

6
Q

what happens if luteinizing hormone is too high

A

premature menopause/ testicular failure

7
Q

what happens if LH is too low

A

failure of gonadal function

8
Q

what triggers ovulation ?

A

an LH surge

9
Q

what triggers testosterone production ?

A

LH surge

10
Q

what happens if FSH too high

A

premature menopause/testicular failure

11
Q

what happens if FSH too low

A

failure of gonadal function

12
Q

what does FSH do in females (2)

A

growth and recruitment of ovum

attachment of egg to uterine wall (pregnancy continuation)

13
Q

what does FSH do in male

A

stimulate maturation of seminiferous tubules and spermatogenesis

14
Q

how does stress affect reproductive function in male rats

A

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

15
Q

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

A

didn’t affect fertility but affected sperm production

16
Q

explain the dose response relationship between stress and fertility

A

stress affects sexual behavior

longer stress will present a significant decrease in fertility rates

17
Q

why are ejaculatory disorders a fertility issue ?

A

bc if you can’t ejaculate there is no sperm

18
Q

why can shift work affect fertility

A

disrupted circadian rhythm

19
Q

do women have less stress in months before they conceive

A

self-reports say yes

hormone assays say no

20
Q

is sperm quality affected by major stressors ?

A

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

21
Q

what is the effect of therapy on male fertility

A

number of healthy sperm higher after therapy

22
Q

what is the relationship between stress and infertility

A

bidirectional

23
Q

why is infertility especially hard on women?

A

social pressures on women to have children

24
Q

which kind of women suffer most from infertility stress ?

A

those whose roles are limited- housewives

25
Q

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

A

80

26
Q

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

A

drug use