Exercise has numerous health benefits ranging from decreasing cholesterol to improving cardiovascular health.
However, too much exercise can be a bad thing for some women. A recent study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility found that too much vigorous exercise could be detrimental to fertility in normal weight women.
Researchers evaluated over 3,500 women of childbearing age who were in monogamous relationships and trying to conceive.
They collected information on the women’s height, weight, medical history, and lifestyle habits. They were also asked to record the average number of hours they exercised per week including the type of exercise performed.
Researchers divided the type of exercise into either vigorous (running, fast cycling, aerobics, gymnastics and swimming) or moderate (brisk walking, leisurely cycling, golfing and gardening).
Moderate level exercise was linked to higher rates of pregnancy for women of all BMI groups. However, vigorous exercise was linked to lower rates of pregnancy in normal weight women.
These results suggest that intense exercise can be detrimental to the fertility of normal weight women. However, the study cannot be used to say that intense exercise directly causes infertility.
Further research must be performed to determine the mechanism of this relationship between exercise and fertility.
