The stress of pursuing a high-powered career affects your hormones, which in turn affects your fertility levels! This research from the University of Utah explains why career women may find it more difficult to get pregnant…

First, a quip from Helen Gurley Brown about career women:

“Nearly every glamorous, wealthy, successful career woman you might envy now started out as some kind of schlep,” Brown said.

Could infertility struggles be the trade-off for being a successful career woman?

Women’s figures and fertility levels. Medical research shows that a curvy hourglass figure – a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.7 or lower – is connected to higher fertility levels in women, and lower rates of chronic disease. Women with cylindrical figures (and more fat around the waist) may be less likely to get pregnant. Women with cylindrical figures are strong, competitive, and have high stamina…and more testosterone.

How career stress affects figures. Stress changes how fat is distributed in a woman’s body. Cortisol is a hormone associated with stress – it helps people cope with stressful situations (think fight or flight). Cortisol also “moves” fat from a woman’s hips to her waist and creates a more cylindrical figure. So, the more career stress women face, the more their bodies change because of hormones, and the more infertility becomes a possibility.

If you want to read the rest, go to Does Career Stress Lead to Infertility in Women? on Quips & Tips for Couples Coping With Infertiltiy. Otherwise - I'd love to hear your thoughts!