Can I Exercise During an Egg Donation Cycle?

A guest blog by an Egg Donor

A question I hear often from egg donors is “Can I exercise during a cycle?” and “What kind of exercises should I avoid?”.

Ovarian torsion is one of the risks of going through an IVF cycle. My very first fertility doctor explained that our ovaries are suspended by ligaments like hammocks. Stimulating all the follicles in the ovaries cause them to become unusually heavy. Ovarian torsion is when those hammocks flip over on themselves, potentially cutting off blood supply to the ovary and requiring surgery. This is an extremely rare event but there are some things that a donor can do to lower the risk of this happening- mainly reducing exercise and abstaining from intercourse.

Anything that is bouncy is a risk- running, jumping, or bouncing on a trampoline are probably exercises that you can rule out. Some gentle exercises are generally okay during the first half of the cycle- you can try easy swimming, stationary cycling or Tai Chi.

It’s important to do what you can to minimize your own risks during a cycle and reducing or modifying your regular exercises and keeping yourself safe. Listen to your body- chances are you’ll feel the heaviness in the ovaries and during the last few days you probably won’t be up for much more than waddling around.