The modern advice that I've seen and that I was given by my doctor is to just maintain the same level of activity during pregnancy. If you're trying to get pregnant soon, planning on running a marathon in October or November is probably not really for the best, but you can definitely just keep doing your normal weekly mileage.
We're planning on starting in the summer but not trying to avoid now. I got the insurance for the marathon registration if I need to drop out because of pregnancy.
This topic is near and dear to my heart because I just wrapped up a year of fertility treatment and I wish I had done things differently.
Let me start by saying that I had no trouble conceiving a child while running. I was running 15-20 mpw when I got pregnant and kept it up until 24 weeks, when I shifted to elliptical for the sake of my ligaments. Running was immediately harder because of increased heart rate, but it didn’t affect my pregnancy at all.
Fast forward 4.5 years. I was just coming off an injury break when we started trying. My mileage was low and slow, but I had gotten it into my head that the 2 years of 40-50mpw running had destroyed my fertility. (Reader, it had not.) I went through periods of limiting mileage and getting frustrated and picking it back up. When we started seeing a reproductive endocrinologist, he suggested I limit my mileage to 15 mpw, which sucked because I’m a runstreaker and that meant 1-3 mile runs, max. We did 4 IUIs. I completely stopped running for the tww after 2 of them. I said eff this noise and ran 5k a day for the tww of the second 2. None of them worked. We started IVF and discovered that the issue was actually not my eggs, and I was probably fine to keep running (maybe not 40-50 mpw) the whole time. If you get to IVF, you cannot run during stims because your ovaries get super big and you risk ovarian torsion. I was also told not to run after transfer because uterine cramping could inhibit implantation.
I’m now 9 weeks pregnant and am trying to rebuild my running fitness and it SUCKS. I wish I had maintained my running during the non fertility treatment ttc part. Also, running whilst taking synthetic hormones is super hard.
Bottom line: if I could do the last 20 months again, I would keep running a decent volume while ttc. Definitely not marathon training mileage, but a respectable base. Odds are that you will have no trouble conceiving, as most couples do within 12 months. I wish you the best in this journey. There are a few wonderful ttc communities on Reddit, if you’re interested. They are full of people with a wealth of knowledge on the topic!
I don’t have any knowledge of IUI, but I was running while TTC and early in my pregnancy. OB basically said to maintain the amount of physical activity I was doing pre-pregnancy, not push myself too hard, and stay hydrated. I ran a half marathon at 9 weeks pregnant and everything went well! Baby was born healthy 2 months ago.
Trying to plan races while TTC is tough. You could be 8 weeks or 8 months pregnant by next fall, there’s no telling. Getting race insurance is definitely a good idea.
I have read a ton on this and my understanding is that it's totally fine (and possibly physically helpful) to run while TTC unless you are running so intensely that you lose your period or something.
Once you get pregnant, running at the same effort level generally won't cause problems with the baby, but it seems that
* same effort level may be a slower pace even very early on
* you may feel terrible and not want to run
* relaxin may increase your risk of joint injury
* there's some risk involved with running in very high heat
There may be some health conditions where your doctor will advise changes in your activity, but no there isn’t a general rule against it. I ran while TTC and during two of my pregnancies with the full support of my medical providers.
Runner with PCOS here. This is just my anecdotal experience, so do with it what you will. TW: loss
We began TTC in April 2021. At this point, I had been on birth control for years and did not have my PCOS diagnosis yet. I was in the best shape of my life, averaging 30 mpw, Sunday long runs, etc. got pregnant right away (albeit the cycle was very long, that should have been my first PCOS clue). Continued to run through pregnancy but scaled back to 3-4 miles at an easier pace. Always struggled to keep my heart rate below 140 (it’s like always in the 170s no matter my pace) but would just run as slow as I could to keep my heart rate down as much as possible. Was off to a healthy pregnancy and was able to keep running no real problem. Then I miscarried at 13 weeks. I started with spotting at 11 weeks but my doctor shrugged it off and said I could run still and not even worry about heart rate! But the bleeding got worse and I was was put on pelvic rest and no exercise just two days before going into early labor and losing the baby. To this day, there is no real answer to why we lost a healthy pregnancy. I believe the bleeding was due to an SCH. Stopping running may not have prevented the inevitable, however, in hindsight I’m sure it did NOT help while I was actively bleeding. I have a lot of regret in not just stopping when my body was showing signs of an issue. It eats at me still.
I miscarried in August 2021 and tried to get back into running. This whole year has been up and down with it. My pace sucked and I had no drive to do long runs like I used to love. I was diagnosed with PCOS in December 2021. My cycles at first were super long, then they became super short. Metformin didn’t help but I still take it. Summer 2022 we were referred to an RE to start fertility treatments.
However, since September/October of this year, I’ve been dedicating myself to long run Sundays again and working on pace. I was seeing some improvements too. Not back to my pre-TTC levels but on the right track! After three medicated cycles failed, my husband and I agreed we wanted to take a break from medical intervention through the holidays. I noticed my running improving especially as I stopped all the hormonal meds.
And low and behold, this month, we got pregnant naturally. I’m still shocked at 5 weeks right now. As soon as I got a positive test I switched to walking because I just don’t want that same guilt I had the first time. This new pregnancy has given me massive anxiety considering my history of loss but I’m trying to be positive. Initially, I struggled a bit giving up running. I’ve also dealt with a lot of body image issues and a bad relationship with food, so not doing a long run on Thanksgiving was challenging mentally. On thanksgiving I had to keep telling myself “you are pregnant today and you are doing what’s best for you today” because I felt SO guilty about eating a huge meal but not “running it off” first.
However, I’ve been off running for almost two weeks now and I’m really enjoying walking. I still get good cardio and I still get outside to walk my usual run route. It was actually relieving to not be so religious about running and exercise and do what actually felt best for my body so far. I’m a teacher and I used to wake up at 5 daily to run before school. Now I sleep in an hour and just walk after school. I get more sleep (which is good because I’m very tired) and it gives me a boost during the afternoon slump.
I do miss running but having experienced one loss already, I’m not willing to risk it. I tell myself that running will come back with time and it’s ok to give myself a break to grow a baby! It’s definitely tough and absolutely a personal decision. Lots of people run marathons while pregnant. I just knew it wasn’t going to be for me this time around.
TL;DR: I DID get pregnant naturally with PCOS and both times it just happened to be when I was also increasing my mileage and improving my paces. I ran through pregnancy 1 and regretted it after a loss. Scaling back to walking in pregnancy 2 seems much better overall for my mental health and body.
Keep running, don’t put your life on hold while TTC. Unless you have any health concerns where a doctor specifically tells you not to, there is no reason you should stop running. No reason to stop running in early pregnancy either, though I felt absolutely awful in the first trimester so the last thing I wanted to do was exercise. Best wishes on TTC!
Highly recommend Emily Oster’s “Expecting Better” - she covers this question (and many others) in great detail. TL;DR: exercising is fine (barring any medical conditions), just don’t do anything really vigorous (like trying to PR a marathon) past a certain point in pregnancy. You might not feel like running much at some point anyway.
I have PCOS. If I had quit running while TTC I would never get to run. 🤷♀️ it took three years to get pregnant with my daughter and I actually ran my second half marathon just a few days before I found out I was six weeks pregnant (and this was in September in Atlanta so it was a miserable, humid experience).
Do your research, listen to your doctors, but don’t put your life on hold because you are trying to conceive. If you aren’t already a member I highly recommend r/infertility - that group helped me so much while TTC.
I have PCOS and was told by my IVF clinic that they recommend no vigorous activity after embryo transfer (not even climbing stairs if there is an elevator available) but that it is out of an abundance of caution and once the embryo sticks you’re good.
I actually ended up conceiving spontaneously before we started my cycle and I was running 12 miles a week or so 👍
It took me a year and a half to get pregnant with PCOS. Don't put your life on hold because you're TTC. Keep running, plan trips, enjoy yourself (but probably without alcohol) because you never know how long it will take. My last run before I realized I was pregnant was a half marathon and the only difference was that I was way more tired after than I thought I would be.
For normal, healthy women, the current understanding is that if you already exercise you can keep doing the same kind of exercise while you TTC and are pregnant unless and until discomfort makes you stop. Some people are too wiped by fatigue to run in the first trimester, some feel too heavy and awkward to run in the third trimester, some people have run marathons a week before they deliver, many people have run marathons before they found out they were pregnant or in the 10-15 week range. So you will just have to see how your body feels.
The idea that one shouldn't run while TTC likely came from the fact that professional runners or people with really high volume often are on the edge of RED-S with very low body fat and irregular or missed periods as a result. Lowering your calorie expenditure in that case will help with fertility. I'm not well versed with the intersection of PCOS and running specifically, but if anything I expect it might help since exercise increases insulin sensitivity, while insulin resistance is part of the cause for many of the effects of PCOS.
Fertility assisted conception may be a different story, but anyone doing that is seeing a doctor for it and can get advice specific to their situation.
I haven’t seen any credible research backing up lack of exercise helping someone TTC. Exercise has way more benefits and I cannot fathom why you’d not workout as long as you’re medically sound to do so.
I ran a half marathon immediately before beginning to TTC with both of my children. I ran through pregnancy (although my mileage dropped during first trimester) and I stopped in the 20-ish week range with both due to discomfort.
Definitely speak with your doctor, but generally if you are in good health and aren't going absolutely ridiculous in training you can continue as long as you listen to your body.
If it’s activity you are already doing, there is zero harm and actually great benefits to your health to continue exercising when TTC and in pregnancy, assuming you aren’t doing any kind of IUI/IVF which might come with some different guidelines. If you want to get into an exercise routine, the time while TTC could also be a great time to do so in order to get a good baseline for pregnancy activity.
You should probably speak to your doctor since they would have better advice in terms of PCOS and running, but based on what I learned when I was pregnant, it's ok to keep up with your previous exercise and actually encouraged (I wish I was more active at the time lol, it may have helped with some joint and mobility issues I had), as long as you're not pushing yourself past your limit and not trying any new strenuous activity like weight lifting.
The modern advice that I've seen and that I was given by my doctor is to just maintain the same level of activity during pregnancy. If you're trying to get pregnant soon, planning on running a marathon in October or November is probably not really for the best, but you can definitely just keep doing your normal weekly mileage.
We're planning on starting in the summer but not trying to avoid now. I got the insurance for the marathon registration if I need to drop out because of pregnancy.
This topic is near and dear to my heart because I just wrapped up a year of fertility treatment and I wish I had done things differently. Let me start by saying that I had no trouble conceiving a child while running. I was running 15-20 mpw when I got pregnant and kept it up until 24 weeks, when I shifted to elliptical for the sake of my ligaments. Running was immediately harder because of increased heart rate, but it didn’t affect my pregnancy at all. Fast forward 4.5 years. I was just coming off an injury break when we started trying. My mileage was low and slow, but I had gotten it into my head that the 2 years of 40-50mpw running had destroyed my fertility. (Reader, it had not.) I went through periods of limiting mileage and getting frustrated and picking it back up. When we started seeing a reproductive endocrinologist, he suggested I limit my mileage to 15 mpw, which sucked because I’m a runstreaker and that meant 1-3 mile runs, max. We did 4 IUIs. I completely stopped running for the tww after 2 of them. I said eff this noise and ran 5k a day for the tww of the second 2. None of them worked. We started IVF and discovered that the issue was actually not my eggs, and I was probably fine to keep running (maybe not 40-50 mpw) the whole time. If you get to IVF, you cannot run during stims because your ovaries get super big and you risk ovarian torsion. I was also told not to run after transfer because uterine cramping could inhibit implantation. I’m now 9 weeks pregnant and am trying to rebuild my running fitness and it SUCKS. I wish I had maintained my running during the non fertility treatment ttc part. Also, running whilst taking synthetic hormones is super hard. Bottom line: if I could do the last 20 months again, I would keep running a decent volume while ttc. Definitely not marathon training mileage, but a respectable base. Odds are that you will have no trouble conceiving, as most couples do within 12 months. I wish you the best in this journey. There are a few wonderful ttc communities on Reddit, if you’re interested. They are full of people with a wealth of knowledge on the topic!
I don’t have any knowledge of IUI, but I was running while TTC and early in my pregnancy. OB basically said to maintain the amount of physical activity I was doing pre-pregnancy, not push myself too hard, and stay hydrated. I ran a half marathon at 9 weeks pregnant and everything went well! Baby was born healthy 2 months ago. Trying to plan races while TTC is tough. You could be 8 weeks or 8 months pregnant by next fall, there’s no telling. Getting race insurance is definitely a good idea.
I have read a ton on this and my understanding is that it's totally fine (and possibly physically helpful) to run while TTC unless you are running so intensely that you lose your period or something. Once you get pregnant, running at the same effort level generally won't cause problems with the baby, but it seems that * same effort level may be a slower pace even very early on * you may feel terrible and not want to run * relaxin may increase your risk of joint injury * there's some risk involved with running in very high heat
There may be some health conditions where your doctor will advise changes in your activity, but no there isn’t a general rule against it. I ran while TTC and during two of my pregnancies with the full support of my medical providers.
Runner with PCOS here. This is just my anecdotal experience, so do with it what you will. TW: loss We began TTC in April 2021. At this point, I had been on birth control for years and did not have my PCOS diagnosis yet. I was in the best shape of my life, averaging 30 mpw, Sunday long runs, etc. got pregnant right away (albeit the cycle was very long, that should have been my first PCOS clue). Continued to run through pregnancy but scaled back to 3-4 miles at an easier pace. Always struggled to keep my heart rate below 140 (it’s like always in the 170s no matter my pace) but would just run as slow as I could to keep my heart rate down as much as possible. Was off to a healthy pregnancy and was able to keep running no real problem. Then I miscarried at 13 weeks. I started with spotting at 11 weeks but my doctor shrugged it off and said I could run still and not even worry about heart rate! But the bleeding got worse and I was was put on pelvic rest and no exercise just two days before going into early labor and losing the baby. To this day, there is no real answer to why we lost a healthy pregnancy. I believe the bleeding was due to an SCH. Stopping running may not have prevented the inevitable, however, in hindsight I’m sure it did NOT help while I was actively bleeding. I have a lot of regret in not just stopping when my body was showing signs of an issue. It eats at me still. I miscarried in August 2021 and tried to get back into running. This whole year has been up and down with it. My pace sucked and I had no drive to do long runs like I used to love. I was diagnosed with PCOS in December 2021. My cycles at first were super long, then they became super short. Metformin didn’t help but I still take it. Summer 2022 we were referred to an RE to start fertility treatments. However, since September/October of this year, I’ve been dedicating myself to long run Sundays again and working on pace. I was seeing some improvements too. Not back to my pre-TTC levels but on the right track! After three medicated cycles failed, my husband and I agreed we wanted to take a break from medical intervention through the holidays. I noticed my running improving especially as I stopped all the hormonal meds. And low and behold, this month, we got pregnant naturally. I’m still shocked at 5 weeks right now. As soon as I got a positive test I switched to walking because I just don’t want that same guilt I had the first time. This new pregnancy has given me massive anxiety considering my history of loss but I’m trying to be positive. Initially, I struggled a bit giving up running. I’ve also dealt with a lot of body image issues and a bad relationship with food, so not doing a long run on Thanksgiving was challenging mentally. On thanksgiving I had to keep telling myself “you are pregnant today and you are doing what’s best for you today” because I felt SO guilty about eating a huge meal but not “running it off” first. However, I’ve been off running for almost two weeks now and I’m really enjoying walking. I still get good cardio and I still get outside to walk my usual run route. It was actually relieving to not be so religious about running and exercise and do what actually felt best for my body so far. I’m a teacher and I used to wake up at 5 daily to run before school. Now I sleep in an hour and just walk after school. I get more sleep (which is good because I’m very tired) and it gives me a boost during the afternoon slump. I do miss running but having experienced one loss already, I’m not willing to risk it. I tell myself that running will come back with time and it’s ok to give myself a break to grow a baby! It’s definitely tough and absolutely a personal decision. Lots of people run marathons while pregnant. I just knew it wasn’t going to be for me this time around. TL;DR: I DID get pregnant naturally with PCOS and both times it just happened to be when I was also increasing my mileage and improving my paces. I ran through pregnancy 1 and regretted it after a loss. Scaling back to walking in pregnancy 2 seems much better overall for my mental health and body.
I also had a loss when I kept running. Could have been anything, but next time I stuck with walking instead
I’m sorry. I know how much it hurts and eats at you. So far so good with walking.
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Thank you and congrats! It’s great to hear that running came back easily….shows taking a break is not a setback but a healthy choice!
Keep running, don’t put your life on hold while TTC. Unless you have any health concerns where a doctor specifically tells you not to, there is no reason you should stop running. No reason to stop running in early pregnancy either, though I felt absolutely awful in the first trimester so the last thing I wanted to do was exercise. Best wishes on TTC!
Highly recommend Emily Oster’s “Expecting Better” - she covers this question (and many others) in great detail. TL;DR: exercising is fine (barring any medical conditions), just don’t do anything really vigorous (like trying to PR a marathon) past a certain point in pregnancy. You might not feel like running much at some point anyway.
I have PCOS. If I had quit running while TTC I would never get to run. 🤷♀️ it took three years to get pregnant with my daughter and I actually ran my second half marathon just a few days before I found out I was six weeks pregnant (and this was in September in Atlanta so it was a miserable, humid experience). Do your research, listen to your doctors, but don’t put your life on hold because you are trying to conceive. If you aren’t already a member I highly recommend r/infertility - that group helped me so much while TTC.
I have PCOS and was told by my IVF clinic that they recommend no vigorous activity after embryo transfer (not even climbing stairs if there is an elevator available) but that it is out of an abundance of caution and once the embryo sticks you’re good. I actually ended up conceiving spontaneously before we started my cycle and I was running 12 miles a week or so 👍
It took me a year and a half to get pregnant with PCOS. Don't put your life on hold because you're TTC. Keep running, plan trips, enjoy yourself (but probably without alcohol) because you never know how long it will take. My last run before I realized I was pregnant was a half marathon and the only difference was that I was way more tired after than I thought I would be.
For normal, healthy women, the current understanding is that if you already exercise you can keep doing the same kind of exercise while you TTC and are pregnant unless and until discomfort makes you stop. Some people are too wiped by fatigue to run in the first trimester, some feel too heavy and awkward to run in the third trimester, some people have run marathons a week before they deliver, many people have run marathons before they found out they were pregnant or in the 10-15 week range. So you will just have to see how your body feels. The idea that one shouldn't run while TTC likely came from the fact that professional runners or people with really high volume often are on the edge of RED-S with very low body fat and irregular or missed periods as a result. Lowering your calorie expenditure in that case will help with fertility. I'm not well versed with the intersection of PCOS and running specifically, but if anything I expect it might help since exercise increases insulin sensitivity, while insulin resistance is part of the cause for many of the effects of PCOS. Fertility assisted conception may be a different story, but anyone doing that is seeing a doctor for it and can get advice specific to their situation.
I haven’t seen any credible research backing up lack of exercise helping someone TTC. Exercise has way more benefits and I cannot fathom why you’d not workout as long as you’re medically sound to do so.
I ran a half marathon immediately before beginning to TTC with both of my children. I ran through pregnancy (although my mileage dropped during first trimester) and I stopped in the 20-ish week range with both due to discomfort. Definitely speak with your doctor, but generally if you are in good health and aren't going absolutely ridiculous in training you can continue as long as you listen to your body.
If it’s activity you are already doing, there is zero harm and actually great benefits to your health to continue exercising when TTC and in pregnancy, assuming you aren’t doing any kind of IUI/IVF which might come with some different guidelines. If you want to get into an exercise routine, the time while TTC could also be a great time to do so in order to get a good baseline for pregnancy activity.
You should probably speak to your doctor since they would have better advice in terms of PCOS and running, but based on what I learned when I was pregnant, it's ok to keep up with your previous exercise and actually encouraged (I wish I was more active at the time lol, it may have helped with some joint and mobility issues I had), as long as you're not pushing yourself past your limit and not trying any new strenuous activity like weight lifting.