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High stress cuts chance of successful IVF

   Oliver Moody, Science Correspondent
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   to relax more, researchers sayGetty Images

   Chronic stress may hinder women’s chances of having a baby through IVF,
   a study suggests.

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   In the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of
   Nottingham measured cortisol, a hormone that is thought to track stress
   levels, in the hair of 88 women trying to conceive through IVF. The
   results, published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, suggest
   that those with elevated levels of the chemical, which could correspond
   to sustained stress, are almost a third less likely to become pregnant.

   Adam Massey, the lead author, said…