Fertility Solutions NE

Affordable Fertility Care and Solutions

Fertility Solutions: Official Blog

Exercise Guidelines During IVF

Posted In Fertility

It’s normal to be afraid of just about everything when pursuing IVF treatments. It can feel like one wrong move will lead to a failed cycle. In fact, IVF success rates are highest for women and couples who adhere to general “healthy lifestyle” guidelines, including daily exercise.

Multiple studies correlate regular, moderate-intensity exercise before and during IVF with higher success rates.

Exercise Dos and Don’ts During IVF

Your fertility specialist is the ultimate expert on personalized exercise guidelines during IVF. Some recommendations may change depending on your infertility diagnosis or fertility treatment history. However, unless specified otherwise, women using IVF are encouraged to get moderate exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

DO: Keep the exercise within gentle to moderate levels

Exercise is categorized based on how it affects metabolism, counted in metabolic equivalents (METs). For example, the energy spent sitting at rest measures at one (1) MET.

Moderate exercises burn three to six times more energy than you do at rest. Vigorous exercise burns six or more times the number of METs. When you’re going through IVF, we recommend exercising at a moderate level (3 to 6 METs) at least five days a week.

According to the CDC, exercises in the moderate-intensity category include:

  • Walking at a moderate to brisk pace (3 to 4.5 mph) on generally flat surfaces
  • Walking up and down stairs or on slight inclines
  • Race walking (5 mph or less)
  • Hiking
  • Biking (5 to 9 mph) or stationary biking
  • Swimming or water exercise classes
  • Yoga, pilates, etc. (check with your fertility specialist as some poses/posture should be avoided during IVF and while pregnant)

The list goes on, but the main point is that exercise does not cross into vigorous or extreme categories.

DON’T: Participate in vigorous-intensity exercises or activities

Exercises in the vigorous-intensity category burn more than six (6) METs per minute and should be avoided unless your fertility specialist has approved them.

There are several reasons for this. Firstly, vigorous-intensity activities can put your body in a state of stress, which we try to avoid. Also, people who participate in vigorous-intensity activities or sports are often at the lower- or below-normal side of the Body Mass Index (BMI), and being underweight is as dangerous as being overweight when it comes to fertility statistics.

Examples of vigorous-intensity activities are:

  • Walking faster than 5 mph
  • Running or jogging at a fast pace (some patients still opt to jog at a slower-than-normal pace, but you should always get approval from your fertility specialist)
  • Backpacking
  • Walking fast up steeper hills
  • Cycling more than 10 mph or on steep inclines
  • Any exercise class or sport that uses “high impact” in the title
  • Most competitive sports or games (including tennis)

DO: Listen to your body

This is not a time to test your limits or hold a “no pain, no gain” mantra. Listen to your body; if it feels taxed, back off or cease exercise altogether. Signs you’re overdoing include:

  • Pain of any kind in the muscles
  • Excessive shortness of breath
  • Dizziness
  • Feelings of nausea (not related to morning sickness)
  • Overheating
  • Any cramping, spotting, or bleeding

DON’T: Participate in sports or activities with a risk of impact or falling

During IVF and pregnancy, you’ll need to avoid any sports or activities that increase your risk of physical impact or of falling. This includes most competitive sports (which are already off-limits as their in the vigorous-intensity category) or horseback riding if it involves jumping.

Sports or practices like boxing, kickboxing, karate, and other martial arts forms should be off the calendar until after your baby is born.

DO: Get creative & keep things fun

Some other activities listed in the moderate-intensity list include dancing, taking ballroom dance classes, or joining groups or classes designed for pregnant moms-to-be. The latter is a great way to begin building a network of parents with whom you can hang out once your babies are born.

Talk to Fertility Solutions About Exercise Concerns During IVF

Is anxiety or fear of IVF cycle failure keeping you from exercising the way you should? Share that with your Fertility Solutions nurses and physicians. We’ll talk you through it and discuss exercise options you can trust.