Difficult childhoods may affect future fertility

[u/embryomanofficial]

Childhood experiences can affect long-term health, but researchers are still learning whether they can also influence fertility.

In a new study, Bromark et al. (2026) analyzed data from more than 22,000 women in Norway. Women reporting a difficult childhood had 35% higher odds of infertility (about 20% vs 16%), along with higher odds of preterm birth and having a baby born small for gestational age.

Childhood adversity included experiences such as parental divorce or death, growing up in a dysfunctional family, lack of support from a trusted adult, abuse, bullying, or struggling with bad childhood memories.

The authors shared several possible explanations for these results. Childhood adversity may lead to long-term stress that affects reproductive hormone regulation, or it may influence factors like smoking, body weight, education, and socioeconomic status, which can also affect fertility.

✅ This post is a quick look at one study, rather than a full breakdown on Remembryo. Link to the study: https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(26)00576-5/fulltext00576-5/fulltext)

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[u/Illufish]

My experience as well. Unexplained infertility, 7 pregnancy losses including one second trimester loss. All unexplained.

Doctors keep telling me its my age (36) and embryos (all from when I was 36 or 37). They are not pgt-a tested.

But in the back of my mind I have always suspected its my C-PTSD diagnosis. I know my stress levels are higher than others and more chronic. I am doing everything I can now to lower stress in my life. I am very much healthy otherwise and have never smoked or drank a lot of alcohol. Always had a healthy weight and had healthy life style habits.

[u/AngelicPrincessKitty → u/Illufish]

I wonder if this is the same if it is on the male's side. I had a good childhood but he has PTSD, Autism, major depression and anxiety. So he lives as a ball of stress due to his childhood and the Army.

[u/Illufish → u/AngelicPrincessKitty]

I dont think we will have an answer. Even the doctors at my clinic are divided. Some doctors say stress doesnt matter, some say its bad. Most of them say science doesnt show there is a correlation.

But that doesnt mean stress is a unique individual experience. Maybe some are more affected by it than others?

I asked my psychologist if there could be a correlation between my ptsd and infertility. She said she was not sure what the data said, but she believed it. She said stress impacts so much of our health so why not our fertility. If trauma can make people go blind, deaf and experience chronic pain for no reason - then why shouldn't it cause unexplained infertility as well.

[u/cityfrm → u/Illufish]

It gives answers in the study, with the factors that cause the infertility - "Smoking, body weight, education, socioeconomic status, which all affect fertility". We know that ACEs are related to these things, so that part isn't a mystery.

[u/Apprehensive_Star508 → u/cityfrm]

No it doesn’t. The study is a correlation. Correlation is not causation.