An infertility diagnosis can mean heartbreak for couples who are trying to conceive a baby. The medical reasons for the condition, including the elusive "unexplained" infertility, are many, and stem from both the male and female partners. According to Preconception Weekly, exercise and infertility are linked, but the relationship is not always straightforward. Exercise can help you stay fit and may increase your chances at conception in some cases, but in others, too much exercise can actually contribute to infertility.
Ovulatory Disorder Infertility
Ovulatory disorder infertility creates difficulties conceiving because ovulation is impaired or irregular. Regular ovulation, in which an egg is released every month, gives a couple many more chances to conceive than the situation in which ovulation and menstruation ceases or becomes irregular. According to the National Women's Health Information Center, a service of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, is one type of ovulatory disorder of which infertility can be a side effect. Women who have PCOS have higher levels of male hormones in their bodies than women who don't have the disorder, and tend to be overweight. Regular exercise may help you lose weight and regulate your hormones. These positive changes in your body can promote regular ovulation, which in turn can increase your chance of conceiving.
On the other end of the spectrum, too much exercise can also play a role in decreased fertility. Women who exercise vigorously and have low levels of body fat may also suffer from amenorrhea -- the absence of monthly periods -- and a lack of ovulation that leads to infertility in some women. Women who choose pursuits in highly physical fields, such as ballet or cross country running, may suffer from lower estrogen levels in addition to lower-than-normal body fat composition, explains online publication Preconception Weekly, which can interfere not only with conception, but with the normal development of a fetus, should conception occur. The levels of physical activity that contribute to exercise-induced infertility are quite high, ranging from the equivalent of running 30 to 50 miles weekly.
Male-Factor Infertility
Male-factor infertility also can be affected by exercise, notes the London-based charity Tommy's, which funds research into pregnancy problems. The quality of a man's sperm can decrease if the temperature of the testes is raised on a prolonged basis, which can hamper conception because the sperm can't survive to meet the egg. Exercise is important to a man's overall health, and 30 minutes of exercise at least three times a week is recommended to maintain fitness. However, hours of long training may elevate the body temperature too much so that the testes are no longer the few degrees cooler than the rest of the body in ideal baby-making situations. Biking is a particular concern in terms of male-factor infertility both because of the tight-fitting training clothes worn during the sport, as well as the constant, prolonged contact between the saddle and the testicles.
Yoga and Fertility
The slow, flowing movements of yoga could be a solution to those who suffer from infertility and have not found answers among the medical community, according to Pregnancy Today. This form of exercise is known to be a stress-buster, and promotes circulation throughout the body. Dr. Alice Domar of Harvard Medical School studied women who had been trying to conceive for at least a year, and prescribed a yoga and nutrition fitness regimen for 10 weeks. The study resulted in a large increase of women getting pregnant; more than 50 percent of the yoga group conceived, as compared to 20 percent of the control group who did not participate in yoga. One of the benefits of yoga's stress-fighting abilities is that your body combats stress by making more stress hormones, which can throw off your other hormonal cycles as well. Dr. Domar admits that yoga is not going to cure all types of infertility, but may help some couples.
Statistics
Weight control, in which exercise plays a role, can lead to huge changes in a couple's risk for infertility. Studies led by J.W. Rich-Edwards and reported in the March, 2002, issue of "Epidemiology" showed that women who had body mass indexes higher than 25, which indicates being overweight, reduced their risk of ovulatory disorder infertility by 7 percent for each hour of vigorous physical activity they performed, and that more women are deemed infertile because of obesity than being underweight. A 2007 article in "Obstetrics and Gynecology" states that combining a healthy diet, exercise and weight management can lead to a 69 percent lower change of ovulatory disorder infertility than women who do not subscribe to these lifestyle changes, according to a study led by J.E. Chavarro.
References
- PubMed.gov: Physical Activity, Body Mass Index and Ovulatory Disorder Infertility
- PubMed.gov: Diet and Lifestyle in the Prevention of Ovulatory Disorder Infertility
- Preconception Weekly: Exercise-Induced Infertility
- Pregnancy Today: Can Too Much Exercise Harm Fertility?
- Tommy's Let's Talk Baby: Male Fertility - It Takes Two!
- Womenshealth.gov: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
