Exercise and Stress Reduction during Fertility Treatments- What can I do?
Is exercise safe during fertility therapy?
Exercise leads to valuable stress-reduction for many patients and can enhance your overall sense of well-being during times of personal challenge. We recommend 30-60 minutes of moderate exercise 3-6 days a week while undergoing fertility therapy. Some examples of exercises are below, if there is something you are interested in doing that is not listed, ask your physician. During basic fertility therapy such as IUI, you will have minimal restrictions- we ask that you stay hydrated, avoid intense activities, and listen to your body. If you feel bloating or fullness while taking medications such as clomid or letrozole, or more than one follicle is seen on ultrasound, please follow guidelines under “Can exercise be harmful or risky?” below.
What about during IVF?
As a general guide, aim to keep your heart rate below 140 while undergoing gonadotropin stimulation, embryo transfer and while awaiting pregnancy test.
Recommended
- Hiking
- Walking
- Cycling on stationary bike or road-biking
- Easy to moderate cross country skiing
- Elliptical
Avoid
- Jogging/running
- Aggressive skiing
- Yoga with twisting/turning or inversions
- Hot tubs and saunas
Can exercise be harmful or risky during my treatments?
The goal of ovarian stimulation with gonadotropins (utilized with some basic fertility therapies and IVF), is to develop multiple fluid-containing follicles (housing the maturing eggs) in your ovaries. Even with oral medications such as clomid or letrozole, more than one follicle may respond. Your ovaries enlarge during these processes of stimulation, and are at risk for “torsion”: a twisting of the heavy ovary, resulting in cessation of blood supply which can result in a surgical emergency. To reduce this risk, patients should refrain from high impact aerobic activity (any activity involving jumping or bouncing) as well as any aggressive twisting movements (such as yoga or golfing) from the 5th day of stimulation medication until one week after retrieval, possibly longer if you experience OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome). Discuss with your doctor what is best given your response to the medications- and above all, listen to your body! If it feels uncomfortable- don’t do it!
How does stress effect fertility therapy?
It is not clear exactly how stress impacts fertility. Having less stress in your life while pursuing fertility treatment may not directly increase your chances of conceiving; however, managing your stress and developing coping strategies during fertility treatments may improve your quality of life and help you feel more in control. Stress has been shown to interfere with problem-solving and decision making. Reducing stress may allow you to research, explore, and more rationally consider all of your options with a more clear mindset. Read more about stress and infertility.
Exercise is one way to reduce stress. There are many other stress- reducing techniques that may be utilized before or during fertility treatments– talk to your NRM physician to determine if these may be right for you. Some of the more popular methods recommended for fertility patients include:
- Acupuncture
- Yoga (www.prenatalmethod.com)
- Mind-body groups (for an excellent app, check out FertiCalm)
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Music therapy
- Walking/hiking
- Journaling (this book is highly recommended by your NRM physicians: Finding YOU in Fertility: A Step by Step Emotional Workbook for Family Building through IUI and IVF by Francisco Arredondo, M.D.)
- Support/educational groups
For more information, read about Stress and Infertility on ASRM’s Fact Sheet: ReproductiveFacts.org.
Learn more here about local options for yoga for infertility, acupuncture, acupuncture and oriental medicine, and other forms of naturopathic medicine and integrative therapies supported by your physicians at NRM.