Research

Hormonal

Structured exercise training (SET) improves ovulation frequency and menstrual regularity in obese PCOS patients with anovulatory infertility more effectively than a hypocaloric hyperproteic diet, although both interventions improve cumulative pregnancy rates compared to baseline.

For obese women with PCOS struggling with infertility, a structured exercise program (3x/week, 30 mins, moderate intensity) is a viable alternative to strict dieting. While both exercise and diet improve fertility markers, exercise may be better for restoring regular ovulation cycles and might be easier to adhere to long-term than severe caloric restriction.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
The frequency of menses and the ovulation rate were significantly (P <0.05) higher in the SET group than in diet group but the increased cumulative pregnancy rate was not significant.
Stefano Palomba et al. · Human Reproduction · 2007

Why this rating

Pilot study, small sample size (n=40), non-randomized (patient preference), underpowered for primary endpoint (pregnancy).

Source

Structured exercise training programme versus hypocaloric hyperproteic diet in obese polycystic ovary syndrome patients with anovulatory infertility: a 24-week pilot study

Stefano Palomba et al. · Human Reproduction · 2007

DOI 10.1093/humrep/dem391

cohort · n=40Cited 236×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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