Excess exercise, possible cause of female infertility

Could we add sport to the possible causes of feminine infertility? This is the question to which the new scientific investigations that are being carried out on the relationship between intense sports and women's infertility seek to answer. The American College of Sports Medicine notes that the triad of the female athlete is characterized by amenorrhea or lack of menstruation, osteoporosis and eating disorders.

Thus, in representative samples of the general population it has been observed that the performance of 60 minutes or more of daily exercise is associated with 3 * 2 times more risk of infertility. The data is proportional to the frequency, intensity and duration of physical activity. In fact, among women who report exercising until exhaustion, up to 23 percent of infertility has been found.


The lack of menstruation in professional athletes

Amenorrhea or lack of menstruation in professional athletes has its explanation. According to doctor Isabel Santillán, specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics, and Medical Director of Clinics Eva, "the excess of sport, linked to very intense training as that should be performed by some professional athletes, is interpreted in the brain area of ​​the hypothalamus, as a situation of excessive stress and the body responds by inhibiting ovulation, which probably responds to an ancestral defense mechanism, since in times of stress and danger, ovulating and becoming pregnant diminished the chances of survival ".


The proportion of women in whom the rule disappears in the general population is 0.1%, in athletes it is 7%, in gymnasts 22% and in fund runners 30%. These sports are associated with a high energy consumption and a greater thinness of athletes. However, cases such as those of runner Nuria Fernández, champion of absolute Spain 12 times, first place in the European Athletics Championships 2010 in the 1500 meters, which are her specialty, and mother of three daughters, confirm the exception of Rule.

Advice for lovers of running

The sport and the practice of regular physical exercise continues being the best recommendation to maintain a good state of health, Nevertheless, it is its excess that can lead to diminish the probabilities of pregnancy. To avoid this, Dr. Santillán asks:


1. Control the intensity using a heart rate monitor. Avoid passing 60-70% of the maximum heart rate. This is calculated by subtracting 220 from age.

2. Watch your diet. The exercise must be compensated with the diet. When the energy balance is negative, the proportion of body fat and blood glucose levels decreases. This is related to a decrease in the concentration of hormones such as insulin and leptin, which can influence the disappearance of ovulation.

Infertility and its causes

Each year, 16,000 new couples are diagnosed with infertility in Spain. These represent 17% of a population that has problems fulfilling their dream of having children. Diseases such as endometriosis, the so-called "tube-peritoneal factor" (referred to fallopian tube lesions) or early menopause are some of the most frequent female factors of this infertility.

Other external factors such as stress, the consumption of toxic substances, which include tobacco, alcohol and drugs, taking medication, poor diet and high levels of contamination also influence fertility.

The anabolic agents, currently in the viewpoint of the health authorities, can clearly impair fertility since they alter the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and therefore can alter the structure of the testicle and the synthesis of spermatozoa as well as ovulation and oocyte quality.

Sport and assisted reproduction treatments

When the woman is undergoing an assisted reproduction treatment, the intensity of the exercise or sport that is practiced must also be taken into account. Dr. Isabel Santillán explains that "more than 4 hours a week of intense physical exercise is associated with lower probabilities of implantation".

However, during the initial phases of an in vitro fertilization there is no problem in sports, but when the follicles become large, this doctor recommends "avoid intense and impact sports, as this could favor abdominal pain and discomfort and although prematurely breaking them is uncommon, in addition, strenuous exercise could decrease blood flow at the point where the embryo is implanted and in the early stages of gestation. "

Moderate exercise and anti-stress disciplines

On the other hand, the exercise has stood out favorably in helping to reduce weight to women with polycystic ovary, also improving the result in ovulation-inducing treatments.

In general, Isabel Santillán, recommends moderate exercise that can reach some anxiolytic effect, avoiding impacts and possible microtrauma. Swimming and walking, would be the ideals, with trekking or the Nordic march as a possibility, but also yoga, Tai Chi and pilates.

Marisol Nuevo Espín
Advice. Doctor Isabel Santillán, specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics, and Medical Director of Clínicas Eva.

Video: What Causes Male Fertility Problems? | Male Infertility Explained


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