What You Need To Know

After I finally decided earlier this yr to tug the trigger and put my eggs on ice, I felt like I’d been preparing for this procedure for the past decade. But as the beginning of my egg freezing journey neared last month, I discovered myself feeling overcome with anxiety—not over the self-administered injections I could be doing twice a day, the invasive surgical retrieval, and even that I could be going through this all and not using a partner. Moderately, the thing that anxious me most was the lack to exercise for principally a month.

For so long as I can remember, fitness has been my most trusted and reliable outlet for every time stress and anxiety strike. My frequent Barry’s classes, long runs, and Pilates sessions are as much for my mental health as my physical, and I often joke that without them, I could completely lose it. But understanding during egg freezing, I learned at my first doctor’s appointment, can present some pretty serious risks.

That’s since the whole process is built around stimulating the follicles present in the ovaries to supply as many mature eggs as possible. “It takes about two weeks of controlled ovarian stimulation to realize this goal, and through those two weeks, women take subcutaneous injectable hormones (FSH and LH) day by day,” explains Taraneh Nazem, MD, a double-board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and OB/GYN at RMA of Latest York. In consequence, the ovaries dramatically increase in size, making them prone to ovarian torsion (twisting), which may not only be incredibly painful but can even carry long-term consequences for fertility.

“Ovarian torsion is a surgical emergency and, in some cases, can result in the lack of an ovary,” says Shannon DeVore, MD, a double-board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and OB/GYN at NYU Langone. “Some exercises, reminiscent of twists, jumps, and excessive pelvic movement, may cause an enlarged ovary to twist around its blood supply, leading to ovarian torsion.”

Because even low-impact workouts, like yoga and Pilates, contain dangerous movements, most doctors advise patients to avoid exercise entirely through the roughly two weeks of injections and for every week or two following egg retrieval. But in line with Dr. DeVore, there are some ways to maneuver safely through the stimulation process.

What exercises can you do during egg freezing?

Probably the most frustrating parts of the egg freezing process is the sheer amount of conflicting details about what you possibly can and can’t do during treatment. The topic of exercise isn’t any exception. And while the dos and don’ts vary greatly depending on each patient’s circumstances—like age, overall health, lifestyle, and risk of hyperstimulation—there are some workouts that nearly anyone freezing their eggs can safely do.

“Patients can proceed moving through ovarian stimulation with certain low-impact modifications which limit movement of the pelvis,” says Dr. DeVore. “Walking on an incline may be an incredible substitute for running, and arm weights are typically secure as well.”

There are also some workouts designed specially for this process. Dr. DeVore recommends the Moving During Fertility Treatment series from P.volve which was designed by fertility physicians and experts in functional movement. The cycle-specific series spans three sections—Early Treatment Phase, Ovarian Stimulation Phase, and Post-Retrieval Phase—and includes workouts, stretches, meditations, and academic talks to cater to each stage of the egg freezing (or IVF) process.

“This series was designed to offer ways for people to proceed moving their body and nurturing their mind with meditations while lessening the chance of exercise-induced ovarian torsion,” explains Maeve McEwen, who, because the director of programming and head trainer at P.volve, helped design the series. “The exercises avoid twisting, jumping, or excessive movements of the pelvis, and maintain neutral alignment. You will likely be upright and stationary throughout a lot of the movements.”

What exercises do you have to avoid during egg freezing?

Because even one mistaken move could lead on to ovarian torsion, it’s crucial to skip certain exercises during this time. “Avoid any core exercise or excessive twisting,” says Dr. Nazem. Patients must also refrain from high-impact workouts, like running, jumping, lifting greater than 15 to twenty kilos, and some other movement that puts pressure on the pelvis or abdomen, including sexual activity.

Determining what exercise works for you during egg freezing is incredibly personal, nevertheless. “It’s at all times necessary, at any phase of life, to listen to your body and desires when exercising, but that is much more so while you’re going through a physical change like egg freezing,” advises Lia Bartha, founding father of B the Method. “Every one’s experience will likely be different, so the connection to your body will likely be crucial in determining whether exercise is correct for you.”

It’s at all times an excellent idea to debate anything you’re uncertain about along with your doctor, and if a workout or specific movement is causing discomfort or pain, it’s best to rest and get better somewhat than push through. “Some days may require movement in your mental and physical wellbeing, and others may require laying on the couch all day,” adds Bartha. “Your body will send you the signs, so be sure that to listen.”

When can you come back to normal exercise following egg freezing?

There are numerous misconceptions across the egg freezing process, not least of which is the timeline. After two weeks of day by day injections and surgical egg retrieval, your mature eggs could also be safely tucked into their recent home in a cryopreservation facility, but your egg freezing journey is way from over. In reality, as I learned the morning of my retrieval, it might probably actually take a further two weeks for the ovaries to return to their normal, pre-treatment size. Which means although the treatment is technically over, you continue to can’t resume high-impact exercise instantly—and determining when you’re ready isn’t exactly obvious.

“Most patients feel able to get back to their regular routine by the point their first period after the retrieval arrives (typically around 10 to 12 days after the egg retrieval),” Dr. DeVore says. “Exceptions are women who had or were in danger for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, who may take more time to feel back to baseline.”

Still, some patients (including me) experience bloating and discomfort even after their periods arrive, so it’s necessary to listen to how you’re feeling, and know that the timing is different for everybody. “Be kind to yourself,” says Dr. DeVore. “Everyone recovers at different paces, and your period is usually not the magical end date of symptoms.”

What are another outlets for stress relief?

After learning that high-impact exercise could be off-limits to me for the higher a part of a month, I wondered how I might cope during this process, especially knowing that egg freezing—and the surge of hormones that include it—can significantly heighten stress and anxiety. I had made some extent of surrounding myself with individuals who love and care about me and planned to have friends around for many of my injections. Plus I had already-scheduled regular therapy appointments throughout the 2 weeks of injections, with the choice so as to add an emergency session or two.

But I knew that wouldn’t be enough. My emotions are at all times a bit unpredictable, and I used to be certain that might only worsen with so many hormones pumping through my body. So, I made a decision I needed to seek out some alternatives that might provide the identical sense of relief that going for a run or hopping onto a rowing machine often did.

At first, this meant a number of walks—not only any walks but reealllyy long walks. After averaging around 10 miles a day for my first three days of injections, though, I grew far too bloated and uncomfortable to maneuver around that much. I continued my at-home P.volve workouts, but I knew I needed something more intense to place my mind comfy.

I’d never had a ton of luck with meditation, but I remembered that each time I’d ever done acupuncture, I’d fallen right into a meditative state. I scheduled an appointment at Ora, a favourite clinic in Latest York, during my first week of treatment and shortly came upon just how helpful acupuncture may very well be during this time.

“The egg freezing process, like all fertility treatments, may be very stressful emotionally and physically, and acupuncture helps to create a peaceful mind and keeps the system in a healthy balance,” says acupuncturist Gabriel Sher, LAc. But greater than offering emotional relief, acupuncture has also been proven to assist fertility. “Acupuncture is a tremendous alternative tool to create an optimal environment for healthy eggs to grow and develop,” he says. “It has the power to maintain hormones in balance and to also rebalance the hormonal system after retrieval.”

I also knew that the sudden lack of high-intensity exercise could take a toll on my energy levels. Moderately than make up for this with multiple supplements day by day, I opted for Perelel’s Egg Freeze Support Pack, which incorporates about 20 vitamins and minerals, like vitamins B and D, folate, zinc, and CoQ10, which help nourish the body and support energy levels during this process.

My takeaway

Despite my eagerness to freeze my eggs and the extensive research and planning I’d done on exercising during this time, the reality is numerous it still caught me by surprise. I assumed that I’d get up every morning, emotions running high and in dire need of an anxiety-relieving workout. In point of fact, my two weeks of treatment did send me on an emotional rollercoaster, with many more lows than highs. But as much as these feelings could have left me clamoring for an extended run or HIIT class normally, the day by day injections made their mark ahead of I’d anticipated, and I used to be so physically uncomfortable by day 4 that the last item on my mind was a workout.

Weirdly, probably the most difficult a part of the no-workout rule only got here after my egg freezing treatment had come to a detailed. In the times following my retrieval, I experienced more pain and discomfort than at some other point in the method, and I couldn’t even take my dog for his morning walk, let alone do a correct workout. When that pain subsided, nevertheless, I felt my hankering for exercise begin to return, and I began hoping and praying my period would arrive early so I could officially get back into my workout groove. But when my period did arrive about every week after my retrieval, my ovaries were still so swollen that any high-impact movement would still present a risk of ovarian torsion. Frustrated as I used to be to face much more time without exercise, though, I knew I had an arsenal of other tools to show to within the meantime.

The choice to freeze my eggs was at all times one rooted on top of things—over my body, my biological clock, and my reproductive decisions. What I quickly discovered, nevertheless, was that for roughly 4 weeks, I might have anything but. Every facet of my life, from planning meetings and social events around my day by day appointments and nightly injections to deciding how and after I could move my body, was out of my hands. The irony was not lost on me, but I reminded myself of the sunshine at the tip of the tunnel: I might soon have potentially dozens of eggs, enough for the 2 or three children I do know I ultimately want, preserved at their peak, the load of biological pressures removed entirely. I might have the safety of knowing I can pursue my skilled goals without forfeiting my likelihood at motherhood and may date and not using a fixed timeline in mind. Every time I assumed of this, I knew the short-term sacrifices could be value it.

Now, as I eagerly return to my regular exercise routine (and life), I can confidently say it was. Freezing my eggs gave me the control over my future that I’d long craved, but greater than that, it taught me a lesson I didn’t know I needed: find out how to be okay with not being completely on top of things.