Q. I’m a serious long-distance runner in my thirties, hoping to be a mom soon. I realize I’ll have to curtail my hard-core exercising once I’m pregnant, but do I need to slow down while I’m trying to conceive?
A. Long-distance running can decrease or eliminate ovulation, but as long as you’re having regular menstrual cycles, it’s probably okay to keep running. Since it’s possible to have menstrual cycles without ovulation, it’s a good idea to check whether your cycles are ovulatory. Premenstrual symptoms and menstrual cramps are associated with ovulation. Or you can use an over-the-counter ovulation predictor kit to be sure.
If you’ve been trying to conceive for a year or more, it’s time for a medical evaluation. In our practice, if a patient comes in with that kind of exercise history, we’ll tell them to cut down both their number of miles and days of exercise. That includes women who are having regular menstrual cycles, since running can be associated with more difficulty conceiving even in women who are ovulating.
A version of this story was originally published in the Winter 2009 issue of Conceive Magazine.
