Physical Activity and Exercise

Intervention: #8 Physical Activity and Exercise

Fact Check

Physical activity is defined as any body movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure.
Exercise is a subset of physical activity that is planned, repetitive, and structured and usually has a goal to maintain or improve at least one component of physical fitness.
Sedentary behaviour comprises time spent in periods of little or no movement while awake (eg. sitting).

Different types of physical activity (eg. recreational, household, child or adult care, transportation, work) or exercise (eg. aerobic, strengthening, low impact) may be differentially associated with infertility.
Likewise, the intensity of physical activity (eg. light, moderate, vigorous) may also be important.

Subfertility is associated with vigorous (exercising daily or to exhaustion) but not with lower intensity or lower frequency exercise.
Increased risk of infertility in women who exercised vigorously (defined as aerobic activities with estimated energy requirements of 6 kcal/min) for at least 60 min per day.
Strenuous exercise increases risk of anovulatory infertility and sperm quality.
High intensity exercise regimens appear to affect fertility treatment outcomes

Vigorous exercise of 30-60 min/day was associated with reduced risk.
Moderate exercise decreases the risk of miscarriage and increases the chance of having a baby among women who undergo ART.
A minimum of one hour exercise three times a week improved rates of implantation and pregnancy and reduced the risk of miscarriage in 436 women undergoing ICSI.
Low to moderate exercise was also associated with increased implantation and live birth rates in 131 women undergoing assisted reproduction techniques.

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