Stress and infertility- have we finally found a link?

Most fertility specialists, obgyns and midwives (and probably even your mother-in-law), know that stress can cause infertility. We see this in practice all the time, and numerous studies have shown that stress reduction techniques can help couples with infertility. Still, we do not quite understand the connection even though we know it exists. A recently published study from Ohio State looked at women trying to conceive and the levels of an enzyme called alpha amylase in their saliva. Alpha amylase is a considered a marker for stress, and the researchers found that women with higher levels had lower monthly pregnancy rates. Is this the missing link? Probably not, but it may be a first step in finding out how the mind affects fertility.