CircleBumpCheckedFilledMedicalBookmarkBookmarkTickBookmarkAddCheckBoxCheckBoxFilled

Exercise and Fertility

Old-school thinking advised women to take it easy while trying to conceive, but doctors now say it’s fine to keep up your workouts.
save article
profile picture of The Bump Editors
Updated January 30, 2017
Hero Image

At my first visit to the infertility clinic, the doctor recommended strongly that I cut back on exercise; he advised me to keep my heart rate below 140 beats per minute. Good hard sweat sessions had been one of the few things keeping me sane between ovulation predictor kits, sex on a schedule and monthly depression jags. Now I worried that I’d selfishly ruined my chances at conception for the past year thanks to my four weekly workouts.

What’s right for you?

As it turns out, my doctor was being conservative, and I didn’t need to feel guilty for exercising. Studies have shown that the effect of exercise on fertility is extremely individual. Some women can work out strenuously and get pregnant easily, while for others a lower level of exertion can impede the process.

“If you’re just starting out and have normal cycles, there’s no reason to change your workout routine,” says Alice Domar, PhD, executive director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health at Boston IVF and co-author of Conquering Infertility. (Of course, if you exercise so hard that your periods stop, you’ll need to work with a physician to get your cycle back on track.)

If you’re having problems

“For a woman having trouble getting pregnant, I’ll go over her routine,” says Hope Ricciotti, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Harvard Medical School. “If she’s running 10 miles a day, I’ll ask her to cut back to something like five. But for a woman who isn’t in good shape, five miles a day is too much.” She encourages women to take up cycling or get on the elliptical trainer because these workouts are easier to maintain into pregnancy than higher-impact modes such as jogging.

Related Video

Domar recommends that women who’ve been struggling to conceive try taking three months off from the gym as a test. If the three-month hiatus doesn’t do the trick, “you know exercise wasn’t the problem,” she says.

Playing it safe

If you’re concerned that your workouts might be making it harder to get pregnant, try following the ACOG guidelines for exercise during pregnancy. You can get full information from their website, www.acog.org. Here are some of the highlights:

[ ] Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program.
[ ] Healthy women should exercise moderately for at least 30 minutes on most if not all days. (If you can speak normally while exercising, your heart rate is at an acceptable level.)
[ ] Walking and swimming are good choices for exercise that can be continued throughout pregnancy.
[ ] Skip activities in which you might fall or get a serious blow to the belly (such as gymnastics, downhill skiing, horseback riding, contact sports).
[ ] Pass on scuba diving (because a fetus can’t decompress as easily as an adult).

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

save article
ADVERTISEMENT

Next on Your Reading List

husband hugging worried wife
How to Deal When Everyone Else Is Pregnant (and You’re TTC)
Fact Checked by Denise Porretto
happy young couple eating breakfast at home
10 Things to Avoid When Trying to Get Pregnant
Medically Reviewed by Kendra Segura, MD
woman taking ovulation test on toilet at home
8 Best Ovulation Tests to Find Your Fertile Days, Based on Our Testing
Medically Reviewed by Kendra Segura, MD
ADVERTISEMENT
Frida Fertility
Frida Launches New Line of No-Nonsense Fertility Products
By Wyndi Kappes
woman tracking her menstrual cycle on calendar
How Long Does It Take to Get Pregnant?
By Korin Miller
woman looking at contraceptive pills and calendar on phone
How to Get Pregnant Fast: Tips for Trying to Conceive
By Stacey Feintuch
young couple enjoying breakfast at home
New Study Suggests Intermittent Fasting Could Have Impact on Fertility
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
illustrative image of a woman's menstrual cycle
Can You Get Pregnant on Your Period?
By Rose Walano
10 slides
Now Eat This! the 10 Best Foods for Boosting Fertility
Now Eat This! the 10 Best Foods for Boosting Fertility
Medically Reviewed by Kendra Segura, MD
12 Fertility-Boosting Yoga Moves in GIFs
12 Fertility-Boosting Yoga Moves in GIFs
Medically Reviewed by Kendra Segura, MD
ADVERTISEMENT
illustration of sperm moving towards egg
Calculating Your Fertile Window: When Are You Most Fertile?
By Elizabeth Narins
close up of baby bump in black and white
Why I Can’t Be There: an Open Letter to My Pregnant Friends
By Natalie Dale, MD
IUI: Your Guide to Intrauterine Insemination
IUI: Your Guide to Intrauterine Insemination
By Maggie Overfelt
ADVERTISEMENT
How to Choose the Type of Artificial Insemination That’s Right for You
How to Choose the Type of Artificial Insemination That’s Right for You
By Maggie Overfelt
Serious woman at home in her bedroom.
What to Know About Ovulation Pain When You’re Trying to Conceive
By Lexi Dwyer
8 Shocking Facts About Trying to Get Pregnant
8 Shocking Facts About Trying to Get Pregnant
By Kylie McConville
10 slides
10 Crazy Fertility Myths — Debunked
10 Crazy Fertility Myths — Debunked
By Kaitlin Stanford
ADVERTISEMENT
young woman smiling coyly and and walking through city streets
8 Signs of Fertility to Look for Each Month
By Temeka Zore, MD
Getting Pregnant Checklist
Getting Pregnant Checklist
By The Bump Editors
couple cooking together in kitchen
9 Common Fertility Mistakes When Trying to Conceive
By Laura Schocker
ADVERTISEMENT
Article removed.
Article removed.
Name added. View Your List