The success rate of IVF treatment appears to be linked to women's stress levels in some cases.
A recent study conducted by Dr Robert Hunter from Staten Island University Hospital in New York revealed that women reporting higher stress levels had up to double the chance of a positive pregnancy test when compared with those who were more relaxed.
The research project looked at 217 women, each of whom was asked to identify how much fertility-related stress they were experiencing on a scale of one to ten.
Those who scored one to three had a pregnancy rate of 30 per cent, while those who scored seven to ten had a rate of between 50 and 60 per cent.
Dr Hunter commented: "We were a little surprised by the outcome of the study - we were expecting the opposite result.
"It highlights the complexity of stress. There's a very complex relationship between stress pathways and the reproductive pathways."
