James Clapp, III, one of the pioneers in pregnancy exercise research. His research spanned over 30 years — his leadership ignited a fire. Cram is an exercise physiologist specializing in prenatal and postpartum fitness.
They studied pairs of healthy, physically active women planning pregnancy. One woman in the pair exercised while the other did not. Their findings in infertility and exercise were pretty much the same between the control and exercise groups. Experts agree that moderate exercise will not interfere with fertility. But to make sure you are in the best pre-pregnancy state:.
At this point in time, no studies have proven that exercise has a detrimental effect on conceiving, except in the case of elite athletes. According to Exercise and Pregnancy in Recreational and Elite Athletes: Part 1 , published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, there is concern for the effects of strenuous exercise during implantation.
Research shows that around 4 — 5 hours of activity a week is okay, but overtraining consisting of high-impact activity of more than an hour a day can negatively affect fertility. While the research is ongoing, it might be best to limit high impact routines the week after ovulation, as well as repetitive heavy lifting during the first trimester. If you have been cleared for exercise, we invite you try our Pregnancy Programs on the Moms Into Fitness Studio — designed by a mama for mamas.
Does Exercise Decrease Fertility? While obesity in men can reduce sperm quality and therefore fertility. Regular moderate physical activity can help men lose weight or stay in the healthy weight range therefore improve sperm quality. But, large amounts of high intensity exercise can be detrimental for sperm quality and should be avoided while trying to achieve pregnancy 7. During fertility treatment including in vitro fertilisation IVF and insemination IUI it is important for women to scale back on exercise as this is the time you want to protect your ovaries as they become more enlarged and sensitive during treatment.
As a general rule during fertility treatment it is advised to avoid high intensity and high impact training, heavy weight lifting and intensive cardiovascular exercise instead opting for more low impact exercise which is less stressful on the body. Even if you are used to vigorous exercise, during treatment it is advised to scale back to low intensity.
Women who are undergoing IVF treatment where the ovaries are stimulated to produce a number of follicles can be at risk of medical emergency called ovarian torsion with vigorous exercise being a risk factor especially within the week of egg collection or after. As you progress through stimulation treatment you may also feel more bloated, fatigued and mild discomfort as the size of the ovaries increase, therefore the last thing you will want to do is take part in a high intensity work out!
Fertility treatment can be difficult enough with the potentially heightened emotions, medications, and fertility procedures without going hard at the gym! So how to you get the balance between too little or too much exercise?
We would recommend 30 minutes 3 — 4 times a week with no more than 4 hours exercise a week during fertility treatment. It is also not recommended to start any new or intensive exercise programme when pregnant. I find this data encouraging for patients who are frustrated with efforts to lose weight while trying to conceive.
When counseling patients, I focus on the goal of being healthy — not an arbitrary weight goal. Losing weight will likely eventually happen with consistent healthy lifestyle and physical fitness, but benefits like improved insulin resistance, hormonal balance, and improved mood can happen immediately with regular exercise!
If patients should maintain healthy exercise while trying to conceive — then what about during their IVF cycle? In vitro fertilization IVF requires a woman giving herself gonadotropin medication in the form of daily shots to stimulate her ovaries to recruit multiple eggs to mature in a menstrual cycle. The medications, multiple appointments, and recovery from the egg retrieval procedure can take a toll on our already busy lives, and many women describe bloating and fatigue during the process.
Women may not feel like exercising during the cycle but maintaining low impact movement can improve mood and sleep — and speed up recovery. Many women are told not to exercise at all during their IVF cycle, and this warning comes from the rare but real risk of ovarian torsion during IVF stimulation and recovery.
The ovaries are suspended by ligaments on both sides, attached to the pelvic side wall on one end and the uterus on the other. Torsion is a process in which the ovary twists on itself, with the blood supply running through these ligaments getting cut off in the twisting process. One risk for ovarian torsion is IVF, when the ovaries are enlarged with developing follicles the fluid-filled structures surrounding maturing eggs , but ovarian torsion is rare, occurring in 0.
Ovarian torsion is a medical emergency and can require surgery to untwist the ovary to allow for blood circulation. Some recommendations for exercise during IVF to consider:. No high impact exercise with quick changes in body position. Walking or light jogging, but no quick twisting.
Swimming, but no flip turns at the end of the lane. Yoga, but no inversions. Talk to your doctor about advice for you, but consider walking, light jogging but not near the time of retrieval , lifting light weights, and gentle yoga without significant twisting or inversions.
Twisting a lot or moving too vigorously may make torsion more likely. Another time you should be extra careful about exercise during fertility treatments is during the two-week wait after the embryo transfer.
When it comes to exercise and fertility treatments, doctors agree that women should avoid high-impact and workouts during a treatment cycle. Workouts like heavy weight lifting, running, interval training, or other high-impact activities redirect blood circulation to the muscles instead of to the uterus, ovaries, and eggs.
Aim for light or moderate-intensity activities for short periods of time, such as:. A study published in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that getting regular exercise before in vitro fertilization can hurt your chances of success. This was especially true of women who exercised four hours or more per week. If you want to exercise, keep workouts to around 30 minutes or so and only exercise two or three times a week.
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