The Debate: Working Out & Infertility Treatments
by Alex Kornswiet
This can be a controversial topic, and something doctors, patients, and people surrounding them can disagree on. It also has so many variables – how active the person was before treatment, how they respond to treatment, how they feel, what type of medications they are taking, what type of treatment they are doing…the list goes on.
I’ve been told many different takes on this throughout my journey. When we were doing our first round of IVF, we were living in Boston and we loved and trusted our doctor and clinic. They told me that I could continue to walk and exercise during stimulation medications (stims), but to be careful not to overdo it because they didn’t want me to disturb my uterus too much, as it grew more eggs than it would naturally at once. With that said, I ended up getting a bad cold during the first day of stims, so I just basically lived on the couch. Between the retrieval and transfer, I wasn’t given any restrictions, but I was very uncomfortable, so when I tried to walk a lot (we didn’t have a car and walked everywhere), I was in pain, so I laid low more than I expected. After the transfer (we did a fresh transfer), the doctor said to lay low for a day and be on modified bed rest, but after that I could walk around, as long as I didn’t overdo it as well.
At the time, I didn’t even really think about it because we didn’t know any different, and I miss that naive feeling. We traveled at 5 weeks pregnant, went for short hikes, and while I stopped as I got light headed throughout the first trimester, I never really felt restricted. And this is the pregnancy that resulted in our first son. With that said, I don’t think it had anything to do with movement or no movement, I was just lucky, and I was able to listen to my body because I wasn’t scared. I was nervous, but I wasn’t terrified like I would be in the future.
When we moved across the country and went to a new clinic, I was told I could do NO exercise during infertility treatments. None. I gained weight, I felt awful, and two transfers in a row were cancelled. It then took 3 months for my estrogen levels to return to normal, and I felt horrible. When we did a fresh transfer with this clinic, again being told to do zero exercise, I again felt awful. But they scared me with their strict rules, followed by strict bed rest after the transfer, and I felt like I couldn’t decide for myself. I wasn’t listening to my body, I was just doing as I was told. Then we lost the baby at 5 weeks. And I was so angry because then I questioned everything. This isn’t to say it was my fault, but because I didn’t listen to myself, and I just obeyed orders – it just didn’t feel right.
The next doctor I had was a mix of both, I could exercise lightly throughout treatments and meds, but there was a strict week of bed rest after the transfer, and no exercise of any kind during the first trimester. I never made it out of the first trimester again, but I did listen to my body, and continued to walk before and after bed rest, as I just knew I felt comfortable with that.
Overall, I don’t think there’s one clear answer to this. Doctors don’t agree. Patients don’t agree. And I think, while you absolutely need to take your doctor’s suggestions into account given your history and body, etc., I also think you need to listen to yourself. I know for me personally, I tore myself apart more during a loss if there was something I wished I had done differently. And while I knew it wasn’t really my fault, I felt more at peace when I felt like I did everything I personally could in my control (which is not a lot!).
So whether you exercise, lightly walk, or lay low – doing what’s right for you is the right answer. If you see someone running while pregnant, but you’re scared to do that while you’re trying to get pregnant, then don’t do it. You need to look out for yourself, listen to your body, and do what’s best for you.
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