Healthy Woman: Does working out affect fertility?

Exercising has become a trendy lifestyle; however, there are claims that if a woman over exercises, her fertility diminishes.It’s contradicting the common understanding that the most advantageous reproductive task requires both proper dieting and appropriate levels of exercise.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Working out requires a proper understanding of monthly cycles. Net Photo

Exercising has become a trendy lifestyle; however, there are claims that if a woman over exercises, her fertility diminishes.

It’s contradicting the common understanding that the most advantageous reproductive task requires both proper dieting and appropriate levels of exercise.

Some women can work out vigorously and easily get pregnant, while those with a lower level of physical exertion can hinder the process.

According to Claudine Kalinda, Yoga instructor at Mamba Club at Kimihurura, exercising has its positives and negatives regarding fertility.

"It varies in different individuals and situations; if a woman is stressed, she can’t conceive in most cases. Working out is the best way to get rid of stress, therefore in this kind of situation, a woman can conceive thanks to exercising,” Kalinda explain.

She said: "The most important thing for a woman to know is if working out tirelessly affects her menstrual cycle. If then so, they need to regulate their working out schedule.”

Exercising loosens body muscles, but women have to be careful when working out so that they don’t strain delicate muscles.

"For instance, if a woman conceives yet exercising was never their lifestyle, they have to be careful while trying to take on exercising just because they want to keep healthy during pregnancy,” Kalinda emphasizes.

She adds that working out or taking on yoga classes is healthy for everyone.

There are other factors that improve fertility in women besides heavy exercising. For example a healthy diet is very important for women who are trying to conceive.

A woman who is overweight and planning on getting pregnant is advised to lose weight before she conceives. Being overweight or underweight can affect a woman’s fertility and cause complications during pregnancy.

However, while losing weight, it’s important to use favorable strategies because in some cases weight loss can disrupt a woman’s menstrual cycle and thereby reduce her chances of getting pregnant.

Infertility in women could be caused by ovulatory disorders as a result of several factors such as hormonal variations.

The process of ovulation depends on the complex balance of hormones and any disruption in this process can hinder ovulation. Physical damage to the ovaries may also result into failed ovulation.

Age also affects a woman’s fertility. The woman’s fertility peak starts in her early 20s but as they clock 35 to 40 years, the possibility of becoming pregnant reduces.

Behavioral factors also affect woman fertility; they not only hinder conceiving but affect the general well-being of individuals.

For instance, cigarette smoking women or their spouses can reduce the chance of conceiving naturally. Cigarette smoke increases the risk of having a miscarriage, premature birth and low-birth-weight babies even when one luckily conceives.

The environment in some ways tends to cause infertility. At times a woman’s ability to conceive may be affected by exposure to various toxins in the workplace.

Some chemical substances can cause infertility and are commonly called reproductive toxins.

Therefore, if women want to conceive, they have to be careful with their health.

Dorau20@yahoo.co.uk