Research

Hormonal

Engaging in vigorous physical activity (e.g., running, jogging) reduces the relative risk of ovulatory disorder infertility, with each additional hour per week of vigorous activity associated with a 7% reduction in risk.

If you are trying to conceive, do not stop exercising. Aim for about an hour a week of vigorous activity, such as running, jogging, or racquet sports. This level of activity is associated with a lower risk of ovulatory infertility. You do not need to do moderate exercise like brisk walking to see this benefit, but vigorous activity helps.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
An increase in vigorous activity (but not moderate activity) was associated with reduced relative risk of ovulatory infertility. Each hour per week of vigorous activity was associated with a 7% (95% CI 4 –10%) lower relative risk of ovulatory infertility.
Janet W. Rich‐Edwards et al. · Epidemiology · 2002

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort (Nurses' Health Study II) with 830 cases and 26,125 pregnancies, though self-reported activity data is a limitation.

Source

Physical Activity, Body Mass Index, and Ovulatory Disorder Infertility

Janet W. Rich‐Edwards et al. · Epidemiology · 2002

DOI 10.1097/00001648-200203000-00013

cohort · n=116671Cited 410×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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