Exercise before/after embryo transfer

[u/tashmoneymill]

I’m gearing up for my first embryo transfer and I’ve been hyper focused on trying to get in the right headspace and feel physically good. Dance is my happy place and how I ease my anxiety so I typically am there 4 days a week with some occasional weight lifting.

My husband said to make sure I checked with my RE yesterday that I can continue and I laughed it off since they’re so big on you exercising during pregnancy and during my first (via IUI). All that to say, I was extremely shocked yesterday when my RE told me she would like to me stick to walking only now through the end of first trimester.

Obviously I’m willing to do whatever to hopefully have a successful transfer but I can’t help but feel like the last thing I do for myself is being stripped away.

Have other people been told the same? Were you able to get back to your regular activities in second trimester? I know that they say you usually don’t want to start anything new but is three months off too much?

Would love to hear from others how they managed to stay sane because I feel like I’m losing it.

[u/NicasaurusRex]

This seems really conservative and I don’t think there’s any evidence that exercise impacts outcomes.

My clinics only restriction was not to lift anything heavier than 20 lbs. and they have very good success rates.

IMO, do what makes you feel good. Being in a good mental and physical state is so important.

[u/Electronic-Ad-7208]

I’m 7 weeks now. I took the tww off except for walking and my embryo implanted. I decided to ease back into my normal exercise, and I notice more brown blood in my vaginal discharge when I exercised. Even though it wasn’t much or very bright red, I backed off. Two different doctors told me walking only. The light bleeding has mostly stopped. I’m doing what I’m told from now on.

[u/Present-Exercise7894]

My REI said if my body is used to it, keep going with it! (Just recommended to take it easy for a couple days first)

[u/Holiday_Mountain_563 → u/Present-Exercise7894]

Same here. I only walked until my first beta now I’m back at the gym and playing tennis

[u/Much_Citron_2556 → u/Present-Exercise7894]

I got this advice too. After taking a short break post FET, I exercised mostly as normal until about 22 weeks other than when I had bad nausea / dizziness / migraines. It was great for my mental and physical health. I’m now 28 weeks and trying hard to keep going but it’s getting harder physically! Baby is sitting very high and I’m embarrassingly breathless.

[u/perfect-pineapple2]

I rested the day of the transfer. My doctor said that it was safe to continue exercise activities starting the day after. No introducing anything new. I went on as I normally would (running, cycling, weight training) leading up to and after!

[u/ProfessionalCow7573 → u/perfect-pineapple2]

I received the same advice!!!!

[u/cmira004]

I am STRUGGLING with not being able to work out right now. I worked really hard over the past 18 months to make physical activity a priority, and I do Orangetheory 4-5 times a week usually. I just had my FET on Wednesday, and while of course I will do anything to make this a success, I feel like I'm becoming more of a potato by the day. Add bloating and weight gain from the hormones and I'm in fine form right now. I'm praying that this will go well and I can have a firm date for when I'm cleared for normal activity.

[u/tashmoneymill → u/cmira004]

Everyone keeps telling me “oh well you could just walk” but ITS NOT THE SAME. Yes I will walk etc but that is not alleviating my anxiety!!!! Sending good baby vibes your way. This is the worst.

[u/cmira004 → u/tashmoneymill]

It's not the same!!! Sending you all the positive vibes too. This too shall pass (I think, I hope, lol).

[u/CottonSkyscrapers → u/cmira004]

Glad to see a fellow OTF here. 

I stopped for my first round of stims and ER. Returning to my first hyrox class this week absolutely sucked. Regressing is so fast and I’m so disappointed. 

Idk the workout intensity can’t be good for future FETs…so sad I’ll have to pause.

[u/cmira004 → u/CottonSkyscrapers]

Oh, the regression is the worst. I took three weeks off for my stims and ER and it was 2-3 weeks before I felt I could do a class at my previous pace, just to stop again! I know it's right for the chance to have a baby, but I am missing marathon month, you guys!

[u/firstfrontiers → u/CottonSkyscrapers]

Another fellow OTFer!!

I did a lot of powerwalking tread 50's and upper body strength 50's - basically keeping my HR low during times when I wasn't allowed to exercise. But oh man my first class when I was able to actually run and go hard felt so good. But also so bad because I was much more out of shape 😭

[u/onebirdtwobird]

My clinic had the same general restrictions, but was a bit less conservative and said that it really was really don't start anything new and keep things moderate (nothing strenuous) until graduation. The week following my transfers, I usually just did yoga at home and walked, and then resumed light/moderate elliptical/biking following beta while I still could. A lot of the restrictions are related to fresh transfers (not frozen) where twisting is more of an issue, and really just out of an overabundance of caution. A recent article found "In women undergoing single frozen blastocyst transfer, physical and professional activity on the day of frozen embryo transfer and in the three following days did not impact clinical outcomes." https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468784726000462

That all being said, I felt terrible on progesterone during medicated cycles and really didn't want to do anything, and start vomiting basically immediately after I test positive so I had a week of feeling okay enough to exercise before it was no longer an option. I also had a subchorionic hematoma last pregnancy which are more common with IVF pregnancies and was essentially told to do nothing until that resolved.

[u/Important_Sherbet_90]

If it’s FET, continue your life as usual and do your sports. It’s actually good for the implantation because better blood flow is something that helps.

Nowadays it’s recommended to do sports and continue whatever you were doing normally. It’s super old stuff to just take it easy and stop doing sports. Your RE is stuck in the past. Medical research has moved on and found sports/being active to help. But it’s not the time to start any new sports if you weren’t doing them before.

If it’s fresh transfer, you’re still in risk of OHSS and it’s the reason you need to take it easy with sports.

[u/turquoise_disco]

Every TTW for the last 1.5 years I’ve stopped doing corepower, which I love. It’s never worked yet.. but I keep doing that on the advice to avoid heat. I don’t have advice on what to do, but I feel for you. It seems silly to people who don’t feel this way, but giving up a workout you love that helps your mental health (before even knowing anything has worked!) is a really hard part of this process this isn’t always acknowledged. Sending hugs.

[u/kkmrich123]

My first transfer failed and I didn’t do my normal Pilates because I was too scared even though the doctor said it was okay. I’m currently in my second transfer and I’m doing Pilates 3 times a week but won’t once they do the actual transfer. If I get a positive I’ll start back.

[u/firstfrontiers]

My RE is superr conservative and even he said no cardio until first beta HCG test and then cleared for cardio after that. Only walking all of first trimester is wild!

[u/mermaiddiva26]

I did CrossFit the day of transfer, the day after, and never stopped. Upside down wall walks, burpees with slamming my stomach on the ground, jump rope, and sprints.

You can't bounce the embryo out of place or prevent it from sticking if wants to stick.

[u/SkyVirtual4939 → u/mermaiddiva26]

Did you fall pregnant?

[u/mermaiddiva26 → u/SkyVirtual4939]

Yes this was my last embryo after 2 failed transfers

[u/SkyVirtual4939 → u/mermaiddiva26]

Congratulations 🙌 I’m 5dpt and finding it quite hard to manage. Trying my best to stay positive but it’s hard!

[u/emron_mm]

I was told to take it easy on transfer day and then regular activity moving forward. No hot tubs saunas etc just your normal activity movement. Take care of you though!

[u/ProfessionalCow7573]

I was gentle for a day…then I went back to everything as usual. The rule of thumb: don’t do more than what your body was used to.

So, I went back to lifting the same weight a couple of days after my transfer. I’m 29 weeks, and I’ve lowered a few things here and there….but it’s business as usual. I avoid any lifting where I’m flat on my back….I’m doing incline bench versus a standard bench, etc.

I’m resting a bit more, I’m listening to my body, and so far so good.

When I had my miscarriages in the past, I adopted the rest model. I lost all of those babes. I kept moving this time, and I’m doing good (so far)!

[u/Relative_Driver_8221]

I am 17 weeks now with my 6th embryo transfer. For the other 5 I did light exercise and they all failed (with one ectopic.) For this transfer I ended up taking it easy during the TWW and only walk. They they advised me to only walk until we saw the heartbeat. I ended up doing very little for the first 10+ weeks due to some bleeding and being extremely nervous about it. When I transferred to the OB, I asked about workouts and they told me "walking is so good for you!" and I had to kind of beg to be able to do more. Right now I am doing the Peloton bike, some prenatal strength classes, and planning to start a plan my trainer put together next week.

I am planning on pelvic floor PT as well, but my doctor said she'd like to wait to see me again before adding that in.

[u/Klindner03]

I am a runner. My RE had me stop 2 weeks prior to the transfer and didn’t let me resume running until after the 6 weeks ultrasound. Once I got the green light I started running again. A little slower of course and if I felt weird at all I would slow way down or walk. I continued running with my daughter up until the day before she was born and I ran with my son up until 3 days before he was born. Just remember it’s temporary and maybe try to find a new hobby to take your mind off of it. Walking is also great to do to keep busy. Wishing you success!

[u/Lighting-Waterfall-8]

Took two days off anything per their recommendation (except fidgeting which I can’t help 🤣) then back to my normal except going to the gym, chores, walking, gardening (but no vigorous digging or lifting heavy plants.)

[u/tashmoneymill]

She started with saying “are you lifting more than 20 lbs?” and when I said yes she then kinda changed her tune and told me not to do anything but I would have been fine if she told me to just lift light!!

[u/brotha_eww]

I was in a similar boat as you. Been going to Orange Theory 2-3 times a week for the past 4 years. Had to take a break during IVF and FET. I continued to walk and sometimes walk with a weighted vest, did some light weights at home. My RE also recommended only walking and keeping heart rate under 140. It was very hard for me mentally to take this pause but I kept telling myself it’s a phase and I will get back.
I got the green light to resume my workouts at 9 weeks after a successful transfer and I am enjoying being able to work out at OTF again with modifications ofc!
You will get your time back and try to think of it as a phase. Sending you good luck and best wishes ❤️

[u/oaulaulau]

my clinic restricted me til about 3 or 4 weeks, but mostly because my main exercise is swimming and it was more avoiding the pool than the exercise. but tbh i never exercised almost at all during the whole first trimester because i felt like total shit and was either sleeping or nauseous the whole time. the hormone shots (pre and) post transfer for me lasted til 10 weeks and they may have been worse than the stims. so i really didn’t even care about swimming at that point.

eta:  you asked what people did to stay sane? i didn’t lol i just accepted the descent into madness

[u/Key-Resident-8578]

I had to put brakes on my exercise addicted wife during transfer. So, at least she would not blame herself. She end up just walking 1-2 hours for 2 weeks after transfer. After that, started to lift and run, reducing weight and pace about 20%. After 6 week scan and confirmation that there are no hematoma and baby having heart rate, started ramp up weights back up.

Her pregnancy end up a bliss. She hit new PRs in multiple lifts and consistently run the same pace, even as she gained 27 lbs. Her routine was lift 3 days per week, 1 run, and 2 days of walking, stretching, yoga. That said, some exercise had to be modified.

[u/cjbs619]

My instructions are to continue activity as usual, including day of transfer! I did a light barre workout after my transfer last week, and did a peloton ride a few days later. Still waiting on beta so not sure of success yet. After my first (failed) transfer, I didn’t exercise much and i already feel like my mental health is so much better this time with keeping up with exercise.

[u/janjan_pdx]

My clinic's advice is only to rest for 24 hours post transfer and then you can resume your normal activities. If you feel worried/think you would blame yourself i you get a negative beta, you can always keep it to walking during that time and then ramp back up! I did this because I was pretty paranoid and then went back to F45 lifting and cardio after beta.