During fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF), women should hold back on exercise.
When it comes to IVF and exercise, you want to avoid large bodily movements that take blood away from the ovaries and uterus. For this reason, we recommend avoiding high-intensity interval training, abdominal exercises like crunches, or heavy weight-lifting.
Choose low-impact workouts. This may mean a walk outside or stretching, yoga routines. While these exercises are typically safe to do with IVF, your doctor may also recommend you refrain from working out completely — so do be sure to consult with your physician before starting a new routine.
Avoid vigorous activities such as heavy lifting, bending or exercise. Why? You want embryos to remain in the uterine cavity and not get pushed into a Fallopian tube, which would result in an ectopic or tubal pregnancy.
Vigorous exercise may decrease fertility in women with normal weight. Moderate exercise, for over an hour and less than 5 hours per week, increases fertility in all women. Strenuous exercise, for more than 4 hours per week, decreases IVF success rates.
During fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF), women should hold back on exercise. Light workouts are ok during some parts of an IVF cycle while you should opt-out of exercise completely during others.
Low-impact activities like swimming, walking and yoga are the best exercises to keep active whilst TTC or during IVF.
It's recommended that you avoid strenuous physical activities like heavy weight-lifting or high-impact cardio during your two-week wait as it could lead to uterine contractions and affect the implantation process. After the first few days of our waiting period, you can do some light exercising like walking or swimming.
Your implantation of embryo is not going to be affected by a little bit of bending or sitting or inserting vaginal tablet.
You need to protect your ovaries during this sensitive time and avoid strenuous training. High-intensity or high impact exercise puts your entire body under physical stress, which can compromise your body's ability to respond to treatment.
Gentle exercise such as walking, yoga, or swimming can help stimulate your digestive system and reduce bloating. Wear comfortable clothing and avoid tight or restrictive clothing. Consult IVF clinic if your bloating is severe or accompanied by other symptoms such as abdominal pain or nausea.
Risks of IVF include: Multiple births. IVF increases the risk of multiple births if more than one embryo is transferred to your uterus. A pregnancy with multiple fetuses carries a higher risk of early labor and low birth weight than pregnancy with a single fetus does.
Once your first-trimester is officially underway, most IVF patients can follow the same pregnancy exercise guidelines set forth by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Safe, low-moderate exercised include things like: Walking. Cycling.
Choose lighter weights with more repetitions or go for resistance exercises like squats, crunches and push-ups. Take a breather between workouts and have plenty of water. Pilates, Barre and yoga should be done under supervision to avoid injury.
Screen for underlying health conditions – Sometimes underlying health conditions can prevent an embryo from implanting. These can include uterine problems, hormonal issues, thyroid problems, diabetes, and many others. Even a prior infection can cause implantation troubles.
During the two-week wait, it's better to err on the side of caution. Avoid having a drink, smoking, or any other activity that could be harmful to a brand new pregnancy. It's fine to continue exercising if you already have a workout routine, but now might not be the time to take up a new, intense form of exercise.
As there is no need for complete bed rest after the embryo transfer, you can climb up and down the stairs.
It's not uncommon for women to gain a little weight during IVF treatments. Hormone injections can affect your weight and also your hunger levels (read # 4).
Deep twists / belly compression
The IVF process can cause bloating and discomfort around the reproductive organs and it's best to avoid deep twists or belly compression altogether. The only exception to this may be if you're undergoing a frozen transfer after a considerable break from the stimulation cycle.
Fluctuating body weight during your treatment cycle may also occur due to irregular exercise patterns and food cravings. Some patients experience IVF weight loss, especially once they stop medications or start experiencing post-cycle depression.
The high estrogen levels during the superovulation phase of the IVF cycle can lead to fluid retention and cause weight gain for some women. But it is only temporary and once the superovulation stops, the hormones get excreted into the urine.
Recent studies have discovered that weight does not significantly affect the success of IVF treatment. According to the research, there is no adequate evidence to prescribe preconception weight loss to obese women with unexplained infertility.
Do I need to stay in bed after my embryo transfer? Once you get home there is no need for full best rest. Staying in bed does not increase the chance of successful implantation. What we do advise is that you take it easy for a day or so – and by this we mean no strenuous activity or vigorous exercising.