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Safe Exercise During IVF and Egg Freezing

If you’ve been told to “just stop exercising altogether” during IVF or egg freezing, you’re not alone.

It’s one of the most common pieces of advice—and one of the most frustrating. Especially if movement is a big part of how you take care of your body and manage stress.

The truth is, you don’t actually need to stop exercising completely. But you do need to make some big adjustments to how you move.

This guide breaks down exactly what’s happening in your body during a retrieval cycle—and how to exercise safely through it. I’ll be your guide — I’m Julia Neto, a Prenatal and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist with a decade of experience, and I collaborated with leading fertility experts to create a safe exercise program for fertility treatments.

Please note that exercise during fertility treatments is very individual, and you should always consult your doctor before undertaking any exercise. Even if your doctor seems against exercise, you should feel comfortable having an open conversation with them about it. Of course at the end of the day, your doctors are the experts in your own individual care. The information in this article is purely informational, and not medical advice.

Understanding What Your Body Is Going Through

During a typical menstrual cycle, your body matures just one egg for ovulation.

During IVF or egg freezing, hormone injections stimulate your ovaries to mature multiple follicles at once—sometimes 10, 15, or more per ovary.

This causes your ovaries to grow and swell significantly, from the size of a walnut to potentially the size of an orange!

That change in size is the major reason exercise needs to be modified. Because your ovaries are enlarged and more sensitive, certain movements can increase risk, especially as you get closer to retrieval.

The Biggest Risk to Be Aware Of

The primary concern with exercise during this time is ovarian torsion. This happens when the ovary twists on itself, cutting off blood supply. It’s rare, but serious.

Ovarian torsion is most likely to occur:

During the later days of stimulation
Right before retrieval
Shortly after retrieval

This is why exercise must be strategically modified, primarily during the times mentioned above.

Why You Should Still Move

Despite the risks, many fertility doctors now support continued movement when done correctly.

Exercise during IVF can:

Support blood flow and circulation
Regulate your nervous system
Reduce stress (which directly impacts fertility outcomes)
Help maintain strength and routine
Improve sleep and overall wellbeing

For many women, removing exercise completely actually adds more stress, not less.

The Golden Rule: Support, Don’t Stress

During IVF, exercise should feel grounding, energizing, and supportive, NOT exhausting, highly intense, or draining. Think of this phase as maintenance and nervous system care, not performance mode or personal bests.

Movements to Avoid During IVF & Egg Freezing

As soon as you begin stimulation (and especially after the first few days), start modifying:

🚫 Avoid:

Running and jumping (high impact)
Twisting movements (including many yoga poses)
Core-heavy or abdominal compression exercises
Sports like tennis or golf (rotation-heavy)
Fast, jerky transitions between positions

These movements increase pressure or instability around the ovaries.

What You Can Do Instead

There is still a lot you can safely do.

✅ Focus on:

Low-impact strength training
Isolated muscle work (arms, glutes, legs)
Open positions (squats, bridges, standing work)
Walking
Gentle mobility and stretching
Breathing and nervous system work

Examples:

Glute bridges
Standing arm exercises
Side-lying leg work
Side planks (with proper form)

The key: keep the pelvis area open and avoid compression and impact

Exercises to avoid during IVF and egg freezing.

How Your Workouts Should Change Over Time

🗓 Week 1 (Early Stimulation)

You may feel mostly normal
Light modifications begin (reduce impact, twisting, core work)
You can often continue modified versions of your usual workouts

🗓 Week 2 (Late Stimulation → Retrieval)

Ovaries are enlarged and more sensitive
Fatigue, bloating, and discomfort increase
Shift to shorter, gentler, more controlled workouts
Focus on open positions and simple movements

🛑 Retrieval + Early Recovery

Full rest is recommended for 2-3 days before and after retrieval
Light walking only
Expect bloating, fatigue, and discomfort

🔁 Returning to Exercise

Ease back in gradually
Start with gentle strength work
Progress slowly before returning to higher intensity

Listen to Your Body (More Than Ever)

This is not the time to “push through.” Pull back if you experience pain or pressure near the ovaries, dizziness, rapid heart rate, and mention your symptoms to your doctor.

Also consider how you feel from one day to the next. If you’re experiencing fatigue, nausea, or dehydration, resting may serve you better on that day than a workout would.

The Mental Side Matters Too

For many women, exercise is a key stress outlet. And during IVF, stress is not just emotional—it’s physiological. Maintaining some form of movement can help you feel more like yourself, give structure to your day, and support emotional regulation

You don’t need to lose your routine, you just need to adapt it.

Final Thoughts

Exercise during IVF and egg freezing isn’t as all-or-nothing as it’s made out to be. To workout during IVF you must simply understand what your body is going through, make smart, intentional adjustments, and support your system rather than overwhelming it.

When done right, movement can be one of your most powerful tools during this process.