Exercise While Trying to Conceive

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Exercise While
Trying to Conceive

Exercise & Fertility Overview

Moderate exercise on a regular basis can improve fertility for both men and women.
Exercise is a natural way to regulate hormones and maintain a healthy weight.
To prevent many of the health issues caused by under and over exercising, we recommend women and men aim approximately 150 minutes of medium intensity exercise per week.

Exercise & fertility

For patients who come to Carolina Conceptions Fertility, we evaluate lifestyle choices that impact fertility including exercise. Excessive or deficient levels of exercise often contribute to infertility, both indirectly and directly.

We recommend women and men aim for approximately 150 minutes of medium intensity exercise per week to improve fertility. A moderate amount of exercise will prevent many of the health issues caused by under and over exercising.

Exercise can be a great stress reliever and helps restore hormonal balance and fertility. Exercise releases endorphins, which encourages your body to better deal with pain and stress. Exercisers tend to manage stress better than non-exercisers. This is especially important for couples dealing with the mental and physical stressors of fertility treatments. Stress can also lead to reduced intimacy with your partner, cardiovascular problems, mental health disorders, ovulatory disorders, menstrual disorders, and poor sperm health and motility.

Under exercising in women

A common issue for women is not enough exercise. Deficient exercise can lead to irregular hormones and weight gain. Body fat in overweight and obese women can increase estrogen levels, thereby causing negative fluctuations in ovulation, menstruation and conception. Excess weight commonly leads to insulin resistance, which can inhibit ovulation. Lastly, overweight women have an increased risk of pregnancy complications including high blood pressure, diabetes and an abnormally large baby.

Regular exercise can help women lose weight and regulate hormones. These positive changes in your body can promote regular ovulation, which increases your chance of conceiving. Studies have shown losing 10% of current body weight will help fertility in women.

Over-Exercising in Women

Women who work out intensely may have trouble achieving pregnancy. Signs of overtraining include fatigue, soreness, insomnia, and poor performance.

If the body interprets excessive calorie burning or physical stress as danger, it will react by suppressing reproductive hormones. Low estrogen may cause irregular or missing ovulation. Low progesterone during the luteal phase can interfere with implantation.

Women who over exercise are also at risk of losing too much body fat. Body fat is necessary to produce estrogen, regulate ovulation and sustain a healthy pregnancy. In extreme cases, women may experience irregular or missing menstruation.

Long-term excessive exercise can also raise adrenaline levels while depressing leptin levels. As a metabolic hormone, adrenaline will eat away stored sugar, glycogen and fat. Low leptin levels will decrease appetite. Women who exercise excessively are also more likely to restrict their diet. A low appetite and not eating enough will interfere with regular ovulation and menstruation. Not eating healthy fats, losing weight rapidly, or weighing below the recommended weight guidelines for your height will also affect ovulation.

Under-Exercising in Men

Under exercising in men often leads to a high body mass index (BMI), which negatively impacts fertility. On average, fertility declines in men with a BMI over 25. Excess body fat may increase the temperature of the scrotum, which reduces sperm quality. High BMI also raises estrogen levels, thereby lowering sperm count.

Over exercising in men

Men who over exercise may experience fertility issues. Excessive exercise can raise the internal temperature of testicles above the typical 96°F. If testicles become too warm, sperm begin to die and cause low sperm count. Men who over exercise may also become underweight, which creates a shortage of testosterone. Underweight men commonly have poor sperm production, low sperm motility and poor sperm morphology.

Exercise & Fertility FAQ’s

When Should I Begin an Exercise Program?

All adults should avoid inactivity. Adults who participate in any amount of physical activity gain health benefits. If you are physically active for less than 75 minutes a week, start by adding 15 minutes of structured activity to each day. Consider walking or swimming.

If your BMI is over 27 and you want additional support to lose weight, consider joining an exercise program.

How Often Should I Exercise?

Exercising 30 minutes a day, three to five days a week can stimulate fertility and help you conceive.

What Types of Exercise are Recommended to Increase Fertility?

While some debate that certain exercises do and don’t increase fertility, there is no conclusive evidence that one form works better than others. We recommend engaging in walking, swimming and low-intensity biking. Yoga also improves female fertility by reducing stress, increasing blood flow to organs, stimulating ovulation, and making the uterus more receptive to conception.

At What Intensity Can I Exercise?

Each person is unique in what levels of exercise are optimal for fertility. The best way to personalize your exercise routine is to monitor your weight and BMI. If your BMI is in a healthy range and continues to drop, increase your caloric intake and avoid vigorous exercise. If your BMI rises above 25, reduce your caloric intake and increase exercise. Please monitor your weight to avoid rapid weight loss or gain, which we do not recommend.

For women, research suggests that moderate physical activity improves the time to pregnancy for women regardless of BMI. Vigorous exercise can delay pregnancy in women with a BMI of 25 and under, but vigorous exercise is okay for women with a BMI over 25. Women who exercise intensely for more than 7 hours each week should consider cutting back or substituting with lower-intensity exercise, such as walking or yoga.

If a woman has an established exercise program prior to treatment, that level may be maintained and continued with minor modifications and precautions.

What Exercise Modifications Do I Need to Make During a Treatment Cycle?

To ensure your health and safety during exercise, we recommend avoiding:

Overheating from hot yoga, warm weather or otherwise
Vigorous activities including horseback riding, downhill skiing, contact sports and vigorous racquet sports
Activities that increase the risk of falling, bumping or hitting your abdomen
Scuba diving
Bouncing activities including vigorous step aerobics and running (risk of ovarian torsion after stimulation)

To ensure your body is cared for during treatment, do not engage in activities that feel physically uncomfortable. When exercising from stimulation to one week after transfer, aim for a heart rate of 120 to 130 bpm.

Can Exercise for Men Increase Sperm Production?

Yes. Compared to sedentary men, men who exercise for an hour at least three times a week score higher in nearly all sperm parameters.

Highly vigorous exercise negatively affects sperm production, however. Extreme exercise causes oxidative stress which can damage sperm. A research study examining the effect of exercise on men showed that bicycling more than five hours per week correlates with lower sperm count and concentration.