IVF + Exercise
I have been working with women in the fitness industry for over 12 years and during this time I have seen all sides of the fertility journey that women have been through.. From infertility, recurrent miscarriage, conception, implantation, fear of miscarriage, pregnancy and birth and loss. We live our lives so differently now in comparison to 20/ 30/ 40 years ago. The prevalence of infertility is estimated to be 12–15% in couples of childbearing age. How to improve assisted reproductive outcome has become a critical topic for both infertile couples and clinicians.
The one thing that has finally been proven in a Meta-analysis of all 7 of these studies on female physical activity before IVF cycles showed an overall increase in clinical pregnancy rate among those undertaking regular exercise compared with no regular exercise. I know this can be an emotional topic for so many couples as the struggle to conceive grows more common but today I want to use this information to help give you hope that there are some small steps that we can take within the way we live our lives to help assist us in this journey. There are many co-factors that lead to infertility but if there is this one thing we can do to help possibly improve our chances why wouldn’t we give it a go. You don’t need to be running a marathon you just need to get moving.
Eight published studies encompassing 3683 infertile couples undergoing IVF/ICSI treatment were included into the analysis. There was an increasing, but not statistically significant, trend in implantation rate for physically active women when compared with physically inactive women. No significant difference was found in miscarriage rate between physically active women and physically inactive women. However, rates of clinical pregnancy and live births in physically active women were significantly higher than those in physically inactive women (OR = 1.96, 95% CI 1.40, 2.73, I 2 = 42% and OR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.06–3.59, I 2 = 82%, respectively).
Additionally, regular physical activity can help relieve stress and anxiety, which have been shown to be important risk factors affecting the assisted reproductive outcome.....
We always suggest to speak and get clearance from you Doctor prior to commencing a new exercise regime. It may not suit your situation but is worth a discussion.
Xx Tammy