It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of fertility advice.
This can be what you hear from a friend, on the internet, on your favourite show or even in your own head, after you hurtle through article after article that often contradicts each other.
It’s difficult to know when you know enough, and it can be even harder to separate yourself from the noise and only heed the words of sources you trust.
When it comes to most things, what’s true for you and what works for you won’t be the same as someone else. We say this a lot because it’s true, especially when it comes to fertility.
Fertility can be a complex topic to sum up. This is because there are many reasons why people may encounter fertility struggles, and while the source of the struggle can often be found and overcome, at other times, it can’t.
On top of that, there are also many steps an individual can take to improve their fertility. The internet abounds with searches like how does stress affect fertility. The topic we’re discussing in this post is similar—namely, can yoga help fertility?
Separating fact from fiction can be a challenge so let’s get right down to it. The short answer is no, not directly.
How can yoga help fertility indirectly?
There are many factors, both mental and physical, that contribute to our health, and fertility is no different.
Taking care of ourselves from the inside out mentally, physically, and emotionally will naturally help our bodies perform better over time.
Yoga can’t help an individual overcome struggles with fertility or any underlying medical issues that affect fertility directly. What it can do, however, is improve overall health in a holistic way.
Exercise is important for everyone and a healthy BMI is one of the factors taken into consideration before starting any fertility treatment. Exercise can also improve your mood and help you manage your stress; during pregnancy, exercise can even help reduce the risk of gestational diabetes and complications.
Yoga, in particular, is a great and low-impact way to get your body moving to stay toned and fit. This generally means that most people can continue their yoga practice even during pregnancy as long as they don’t over-exert themselves.
This form of exercise also has a host of other benefits ranging from improved strength, flexibility, pain relief, heart health, better sleeping habits, improved relaxation, and more energy, to better mood, lower stress, and the promotion of self-care habits.
What does this mean for fertility?
It means that with the lowering of stress and better self-care, an individual can improve their overall health, which has an effect on their reproductive health and fertility.
In many ways, the connection between lower stress and improved fertility, and yoga and improved fertility are the same. What we mean here is that while there’s no scientific evidence to prove that one has a direct impact on the other, many studies show a positive, indirect correlation all the same.
This may do more to prove the strong connection between mental and physical health than it does to show a connection between fertility and exercise.
Taking care of your health to improve your fertility
No matter where an individual is in their fertility journey, taking care of their health will never go to waste.
Having said that, yoga is in no way a cure for fertility struggles and it is rare that any form of exercise can heal any condition completely, without medical intervention and the appropriate care.
That is why, if you or someone you know is struggling with their fertility or suspects that they may struggle with their fertility in the future, they should speak to a fertility specialist as soon as possible.
Consulting a professional can help you understand more about how your lifestyle and habits are affecting your body and the steps you can take to improve your health and enhance your fertility.