Stress Impairs Women's Reproductive Health

Stress is a pervasive aspect of modern society today that affects people’s physical as well as mental status. Under stressed condition, daily performance is severely affected, and a person becomes prone to various health disorders. Various stressors, including limited resources, high competition, lifestyle changes and negative life events generate stress more frequently in women during reproductive life. The persistent stress depletes antioxidant machinery; generates reactive oxygen species (ROS); disrupts neuroendocrine axes; and impairs the production of cortisol, reproductive hormones, granulosa cell functions and oocyte quality in the ovary. Sustained high levels of ROS cause oxidative stress (OS) that induces various cell death pathways in the follicular somatic cells, germ cells in the ovary. Induction of cell death in the ovary depletes ovarian reserve, production of poor-quality oocytes and onset of various ovarian diseases as well as reproductive disorders. In order to mitigate the OS insult, several antioxidants have been used, and the search continues to develop next-generation phytopharmaceutical drugs with pleiotropic therapeutic potential for the management of women’s stress-mediated reproductive health disorders. With anti-stress, anti-anxiety, anti-depression, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cytotoxic properties, Shatavari ( Asparagus racemosus Willd.) holds pleiotropic therapeutic potential to mitigate stress, OS insult at the level of the brain, hormonal imbalance, ovarian dysfunction, deterioration in oocyte quality, ovulation and thereby rejuvenate women’s reproductive health. This chapter discusses stress-mediated reproductive health disorders, underlying mechanisms and potential preventative effects of Shatavari on stress-mediated OS insult as well as the rejuvenating ability of Shatavari in improving women’s overall reproductive health.