Trying to Conceive or Pregnant? How Exercise fits in the Journey.

Movement and physical activity play a vital role in supporting mental health, hormone balance, and overall well-being.

During Pregnancy

Moderate to Vigorous Exercise During Pregnancy: Benefits and Safety.

Moderate to vigorous exercise is generally safe during pregnancy and is linked to improved outcomes for both parent and baby (Mottola et al).

Any physical activity is better than none. If you're currently inactive, start small and gradually increase to the recommended levels.

The Australian guidelines outline:

Benefits

Staying active during pregnancy has many benefits for the health of both mum and bub including:

• Prepare for labour and recovery

• Lower risk of gestational diabetes

• Less back and pelvic pain

• Lower risk of incontinence

• Better mental health, including a lower risk of postnatal depression.

Recommendations

If you and your baby are healthy, you should aim to meet the physical and sedentary behavior guidelines for adults during pregnancy. This means being active most days, preferably every day, to a weekly total of either:

• 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity

• 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous intensity physical activity

• an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activities.

Do muscle strengthening activities at least 2 days each week. Aim to do strengthening activities, such as light resistance training or bodyweight exercises. (Details can be accessed in the link at the bottom).

Any physical activity is better than none. If you're currently inactive, start small and gradually increase to the recommended levels.

Exercise and Fertility: What You Need to Know.

A recent review further looked at the impact of exercise on fertility and summarized a couple of significant findings:

• For women aged 18-40 who are not undergoing fertility treatment, research shows a link between vigorous physical activity and the time it takes to conceive, particularly in women with a normal BMI.

• Time to pregnancy was significantly less in participants engaging in moderate physical activity, but lower fecundability was observed in all women who engaged in vigorous physical activity.

• Overweight and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome should be encouraged to engage in vigorous aerobic exercise or resistance training to optimize their chances of conceiving, with as little as 30 minutes of vigorous exercise three times a week, increasing the chances of conception.

• In women undergoing assisted reproduction for other diagnoses, exercise likely has little to no impact on treatment outcomes. Individuals can therefore continue their regular exercise regimen throughout the treatment.

• For healthy women trying to conceive, it's important to consider that vigorous exercise may sometimes negatively affect fertility.

• In one RCT included in the review, 85% of women who exercised vigorously five times a week plus moderate (30% caloric deficit) and severe (60% caloric deficit) calorie restriction experienced at least one luteal phase defect.

• That said, the results suggest that the detrimental effects of vigorous exercise on fertility in healthy-weight women might be countered through increased calorie intake. Keep in mind future research directly assessing pregnancy rates in a larger sample is needed to confirm this conclusion.

• There is no apparent detriment to ART cycle outcomes with exercise (before the cycle).

• There is no clear evidence of the impact of exercise on endometriosis and fertility, as there are no studies. 

In summary

Although exact guidelines are unclear, moderate exercise appears beneficial for conception. However, excessive exercise combined with insufficient nutrition may delay the process.

Should you have questions or need further guidance, consult with an educated practitioner rather than same random social media influencer, no matter their celebrity status.

Details can be accessed by clicking on the images below