The Importance of Exercise for Fertility
- nataliagardneracup
- Jun 20
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 11
If you’re on your fertility journey, you may hear conflicting advice about exercising. One reason for this is it can depend on whether you struggle with a particular condition related to fertility.
In this blog, we look at various fertility conditions and how they can be supported with exercise. We will look at the following:
Whether exercise or rest is better for each stage of your menstrual cycle.
What types of exercise are appropriate for your Chinese Medicine diagnosis.
What types of exercise are suitable throughout IVF.
The Benefits of Exercise for Fertility
Regular, moderate exercise positively impacts fertility health by:
Improving blood flow to the reproductive organs.
Regulating hormones
Reducing the likelihood of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes which can be involved in PCOS hormonal imbalance and ovulation issues.
Reducing inflammation
Improving gut health and absorption of nutrients
Exercise for Your Chinese Medicine Diagnosis
Some people feel better when they exercise, while others feel better when they rest. In Chinese Medicine, this is largely dependent upon whether your overall constitution is one primarily of DEFICIENCY or of EXCESS.
If you have a lot of deficiencies in your Chinese Medicine diagnoses, such as Blood, Spleen or Kidney deficiency, you may need to rest more and the type of exercise that would suit you would usually be a Yin (relaxed) style of exercise such as yoga, walking and low intensity cardio.
If you have a lot of excess diagnoses such as Liver Qi Stagnation, Damp and Blood Stasis, you would need to increase the frequency and intensity of exercise.
If you are in tune with your body, you'll naturally be aware of this. You probably notice your mood lifts after playing sports. And when you’ve not exercised, you feel sluggish and irritable.
PMT symptoms (Liver Qi Stagnation) are generally eased with exercise. I have worked with many patients at my clinic in Wolverhampton with a primary diagnosis of either Liver Qi Stagnation or Liver Blood Stasis. They either run regularly or play for sports teams and tend to feel much better when they exercise. That is because their Liver energy is naturally high and they need to move it frequently.
However, there are a couple of exceptions for conditions related to excess:
If the Liver Qi Stagnation is pronounced and has been building up over a long period of time, you are likely to feel tired and be reluctant or too fatigued to exercise. However, this type of fatigue is due to a stagnation of energy, not because there is not enough Qi (energy). Therefore, it is always better treated with exercise. The movement of Qi makes you feel better afterwards.
Blood Stasis is better for exercise as it moves the Blood. However, you should avoid exercising when menstruating as it causes retrograde bleeding.
Damp is improved by exercising, but try to avoid exercising in damp environments such as swimming or any type of exercise in the rain.
What if you have a mixed diagnosis?
It is very common to have both deficient and excess diagnoses at the same time.
This could be Blood Stasis AND Kidney Yang Deficiency. For example, a woman with endometriosis and low progesterone.
Or Spleen Qi and Blood Deficiency AND Damp. This might be a woman with PCOS.
Or Kidney Yin Deficiency AND Liver Qi Stagnation. This might be a woman with low AMH and PMT symptoms.
What type of exercise regime should YOU undertake in these instances?
Here at my fertility clinic I look at:
The predominant diagnosis and what you want to work on (ie. improving egg quality).
The stage of the menstrual cycle or IVF stage you are at. For example for anyone with both deficiencies and excess conditions:
Resting during your period
Yin exercise in the follicular phase or during stims such as yoga, walking and low intensity steady state.
Yang exercise in the luteal phase (unless 2 week wait) eg. moderate intensity exercise
Walk every day in the two week wait, avoid abdominal exercise.
But let's look at some specific conditions related to fertility and what type of exercise is beneficial:
Exercise and Egg Quality
Chinese Medicine: Kidney Yin Deficiency, Blood Deficiency
For most days of the week, 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week in preparation for the month’s egg's maturation journey helps to improve egg quality. This could include jogging, cycling, dance, gym based exercises or yoga.
During exercise, and especially cardio exercise, the ovaries receive an increase in blood, oxygen and nutrients for egg development. However, too much exercise, such as frequent and high duration HIIT (high intensity interval training) with inadequate nutrition may impact the production of high quality eggs. This is because excessive exercise without adequate rest over a long period of time injures the Kidney Yin energy which is essential for egg production in Chinese Medicine.
If your predominant fertility issue is low AMH or poor quality embryos (identified by PGT-A) and/or a thin uterine lining then the following type of exercise would be beneficial for you:
Yoga or pilates plus....
Low intensity steady state (LISS) cardiovascular exercise such as jogging, cycling, brisk walking, cross trainer or dance.
You may feel particularly tired towards the end of your period, or in the early follicular stage. This is one of the best times to rest.
Exercise and Insulin/ PCOS
Chinese Medicine: Damp, Qi Stagnation
Exercise helps to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and help to manage weight, all of which are common factors with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome).
During exercise, and especially high intensity exercise, the fatty deposits (Damp) are able to be flushed away. In insulin resistance, fatty deposits clog up the insulin receptors on the cell membranes and insulin cannot enter.
In PCOS this circulating insulin then interferes with other hormones causing a hormonal imbalance that affects ovulation. Any type of exercise routine improves insulin's ability to enter the cells, reduces body fat and regulates the hormones.
If your fertility issues are predominantly related to PCOS or, in Chinese medicine, Liver Qi Stagnation and Damp, then the following types of exercise would be beneficial for you:
High intensity such as HIIT exercise class
Gym based training such as free weights, body weight exercises and resistance machines
Athletics
Net and wall or invasion games such as netball, hockey, football, volleyball, badminton or tennis
Dance
Walking is a great start, but it is not enough on its own in order to flush out the blockages contributing to PCOS.
Exercise and Reproductive Immunology
Chinese Medicine: Blood Stasis, Lung Excess, Spleen Deficiency
Moderate exercise can boost the production and function of immune cells and reduce inflammation throughout the body. In the fertility organs, it can help manage stress which is a contributing factor to auto-immunity in reproductive health.
When the immune system is overactive and producing elevated natural killer cells, which prevent the embryo implanting or can cause recurrent miscarriage, there is always a Blood Stasis factor from an acupuncture point of view.
Exercise moves the Blood and prevents Blood Stasis from accumulating. With an auto-immune response there is usually an involvement of gut microbiome imbalance which is Spleen Qi Deficiency.
Moderate exercise combined with healthy eating patterns strengthens the Spleen energy (Qi) and enables it to convert the food into ATP (energy currency). This helps the gut microbiome and the immune system.
If the immune system response is related to hay fever, asthma, eczema or intolerances, there is a Lung pathology in Chinese medicine. The best type of exercise for the Lung is cardiovascular exercise which supports the cardio-respiratory systems in the body, promoting healthy lung function.
If your struggles with fertility are linked to the immune system or a thyroid issue, then moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise would be best. This includes jogging, cycling, brisk walking, cross trainer or dancing.
Exercise and Endometriosis or Fibroids
Chinese Medicine: Blood Stasis
Blood Stasis is a Liver pathology, and the Liver needs to exercise. Exercise moves the Blood. However, for a woman with endometriosis, fibroids, heavy, painful periods and large clots, exercise is not recommended during your period. Tampons, menstrual cups and sex during your cycle should also be avoided to prevent retrograde bleeding.
However, exercise in the luteal phase (after ovulation and before the bleed) is the ideal time to focus on moving the blood. This can be whatever type of exercise you enjoy most and are able to undertake.
When Is It Too Much Exercise?
Excessive exercise leads to Kidney Yin deficiency and Blood deficiency. However, this is usually when it is linked to inadequate nutrition. Elite athletes, for example, have strong Kidney energy in general and support their body by eating the correct balance of macro and micro nutrients for optimal performance.
If you are an elite performer or undertake regular high intensity exercise and eat well for your body and fertility needs, you do not need to change your exercise regime. However, if you are untrained and considering taking up exercise, begin with a low intensity steady state. Then build up using the principles of progressive overload.
When you balance rest with exercise, you balance the Yin and Yang. This can optimise these energies in your fertility organs and body. Throughout the week, you can balance yoga with cardio, walking with a zumba class, or an outdoor physical activity that’s followed by meditation. It doesn't have to be all Yin exercise or all Yang exercise.
Yin activities are important and have their place in the menstrual cycle and during IVF. These include rest, acupuncture and meditation.
Remember: regular exercise is important.
It can often be overlooked when it comes to fertility. But it goes without saying that your overall health will affect your ability to get pregnant.
Being in optimal physical and mental health can support your journey. For many women, it’s particularly good for reducing levels of anxiety during this time. Whether you love dancing or playing tennis, sports are excellent for taking your mind off things.
One of the benefits of exercise is the endorphin release and the fact that you are doing something that you enjoy, that is not associated with work or other matters.
I hope this helps!
Have a great week!
Natalia 🏃♀️➡️🎾🧘🏼♂️🤸🏼♀️
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