Infertility may be determined by numerous variables. While a fair amount of exercise is recommended when trying to get pregnant, both for the male and the female partner, if the amount of exercise is in excess, this may affect the fertility of the partners.
Exercising and Fertility
Studies have shown that there is a correlation between exercising and fertility. People that exercise three to five times per week, for at least 30 minutes, are more likely to conceive faster and have a healthy baby than overweight couples. In addition, exercising will also help in weight loss and it is known that overweight people may have fertility problems.
However, too much exercise may have a negative effect on fertility, both in men and women. This is due to the fact that the type of exercise may affect the quality and motility of the sperm in men (i.e. biking). In women, the intensive workout may lead to the failure of the egg implantation in the uterus and may also disturb the normal cycle and lead to irregular periods. Consequently, it will be difficult to track the ovulation time and predict the most fertile time.
Studies on couples that are trying to conceive via IVF have shown that women that exercise in excess are 40% less likely to conceive than women that exercise normally or don’t exercise at all.
How Much Exercise Is Too Much?
The amounts of exercise that are considered excessive depend on each patient in part. It’s important to have a balanced life and to avoid over exhausting the body with exercise. For most people, an excessive amount of exercise means working out for more than 5 hours per week. However, the type of exercise also matters, as yoga or Pilates may not be as tiring as running or a cardio workout.
Signs that You Exercise Too Much
If you don’t know how much exercise is too much for you and you are trying to conceive, you should monitor your body for signs that you may be exercising in excess:
- You lose weight, even if you are at an ideal weight
- You experience fatigue all the time
- Irregular periods in women or lack of menstruation (amenorrhea)
- Erectile dysfunction in men
- Poor quality of semen or absence of sperm in the semen (azoospermia)
- An eating disorder, refusal to eat
If you perform your exercise routine even when you are sick or others take a day off, this may also signal that you exercise too much. Also, if you are thinking too much of your self image, this may also affect your mental health and you may tend to exercise too much to preserve a positive self image.
In order to establish how much exercise you should perform per week, you should consult a trainer and your fertility doctor. You should also accept that while you are trying to conceive, you may have to take it easy and exercise less.
