{"id":5937,"date":"2023-07-25T01:03:21","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T18:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5937"},"modified":"2023-07-25T01:03:21","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T18:03:21","slug":"what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5937","title":{"rendered":"What You Need To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">F<\/span>rom the moment I learned about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/egg-freezing-tmrw\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/egg-freezing-tmrw\/\">egg freezing<\/a>, sometime in my late teens, I knew it was something I wanted to do. This medical process extracts and preserves eggs, enabling women to postpone pregnancy, often beyond what would be biologically possible naturally\u2014something that really appealed to my need to be in control of all the things. I had no proof of my fertility dwindling, nor did I have any reason to suspect that I wouldn\u2019t have kids in my late twenties or early thirties. But as someone who is always looking for a way to exercise agency over every aspect of my life, I loved the prospect of being in charge of my own reproductive destiny.<\/div>\n<p>When I finally decided earlier this year to pull the trigger and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/egg-freezing-risks\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/egg-freezing-risks\/\">put my eggs on ice<\/a>, I felt like I\u2019d been preparing for this procedure for the past decade. But as the start of my egg freezing journey neared last month, I found myself feeling overcome with anxiety\u2014not over the self-administered injections I would be doing twice a day, the invasive surgical retrieval, or even that I would be going through this all without a partner. Rather, the thing that worried me most was the inability to exercise for basically a month.<\/p>\n<p>For as long as I can remember, fitness has been my most trusted and reliable outlet for whenever stress and anxiety strike. My frequent Barry\u2019s classes, long runs, and Pilates sessions are as much for my mental health as my physical, and I often joke that without them, I may completely lose it. But working out during egg freezing, I learned at my first doctor\u2019s appointment, can present some pretty serious risks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exercise-during-egg-freezing\/\" current-title=\"Everything I Wish I\u2019d Known About Exercise During Egg Freezing Before I Started the Process\" current-image=\"GettyImages-exercise-during-egg-freezing-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-01-24\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exercise-during-egg-freezing\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exercise-during-egg-freezing\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exercise-during-egg-freezing\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>That\u2019s because the whole process is built around stimulating the follicles found in the ovaries to produce as many mature eggs as possible. \u201cIt takes about two weeks of controlled ovarian stimulation to achieve this goal, and during those two weeks, women take subcutaneous injectable hormones (FSH and LH) every day,\u201d explains <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rmany.com\/our-team\/physicians\/dr-taraneh-nazem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.rmany.com\/our-team\/physicians\/dr-taraneh-nazem\">Taraneh Nazem, MD,<\/a> a double-board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and OB\/GYN at RMA of New York. As a result, the ovaries dramatically increase in size, making them susceptible to ovarian torsion (twisting), which can not only be incredibly painful but can also carry long-term consequences for fertility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOvarian torsion is a surgical emergency and, in some cases, can lead to the loss of an ovary,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/nyulangone.org\/doctors\/1295092070\/shannon-m-devore\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/nyulangone.org\/doctors\/1295092070\/shannon-m-devore\">Shannon DeVore, MD,<\/a> a double-board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and OB\/GYN at NYU Langone. \u201cSome exercises, such as twists, jumps, and excessive pelvic movement, can cause an enlarged ovary to twist around its blood supply, resulting in ovarian torsion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because even low-impact workouts, like yoga and Pilates, contain risky movements, most doctors advise patients to avoid exercise entirely during the roughly two weeks of injections and for a week or two following egg retrieval. But according to Dr. DeVore, there are some ways to move safely during the stimulation process.<\/p>\n<h2>What exercises <em>can<\/em> you do during egg freezing?<\/h2>\n<p>One of the most frustrating parts of the egg freezing process is the sheer amount of conflicting information about what you can and cannot do during treatment. The subject of exercise is no exception. And while the dos and don\u2019ts vary greatly depending on each patient\u2019s circumstances\u2014like age, overall health, lifestyle, and risk of hyperstimulation\u2014there are some workouts that almost anyone freezing their eggs can safely do.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPatients can continue moving through ovarian stimulation with certain low-impact modifications which limit movement of the pelvis,\u201d says Dr. DeVore. \u201cWalking on an incline can be a great substitute for running, and arm weights are typically safe as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There are also some workouts designed specially for this process. Dr. DeVore recommends the <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fpvolve.r7kg.net%2Fc%2F2372336%2F515153%2F8810%3FsubId1%3DSTMSHL-1095199%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.pvolve.com%252Fpages%252Fexercise-and-fertility-treatment&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fexercise-during-egg-freezing%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.pvolve.com\/pages\/exercise-and-fertility-treatment\">Moving During Fertility Treatment<\/a> series from <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fpvolve.r7kg.net%2Fc%2F2372336%2F515153%2F8810%3FsubId1%3DSTMSFT-1072951%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.pvolve.com%252F&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fexercise-during-egg-freezing%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.pvolve.com\/\">P.volve<\/a> which was designed by fertility physicians and experts in functional movement. The cycle-specific series spans three sections\u2014Early Treatment Phase, Ovarian Stimulation Phase, and Post-Retrieval Phase\u2014and includes workouts, stretches, meditations, and educational talks to cater to every stage of the egg freezing (or IVF) process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis series was designed to provide ways for individuals to continue moving their body and nurturing their mind with meditations while lessening the risk of exercise-induced ovarian torsion,\u201d explains <a href=\"https:\/\/app.pvolve.com\/trainers\/maeve-mcewen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/app.pvolve.com\/trainers\/maeve-mcewen\/\">Maeve McEwen<\/a>, who, as the director of programming and head trainer at P.volve, helped design the series. \u201cThe exercises avoid twisting, jumping, or excessive movements of the pelvis, and maintain neutral alignment. You will be upright and stationary throughout most of the movements.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What exercises should you avoid during egg freezing?<\/h2>\n<p>Because even one wrong move could lead to ovarian torsion, it\u2019s crucial to skip certain exercises during this time. \u201cAvoid any core exercise or excessive twisting,\u201d says Dr. Nazem. Patients should also refrain from high-impact workouts, like running, jumping, lifting more than 15 to 20 pounds, and any other movement that puts pressure on the pelvis or abdomen, including sexual intercourse.<\/p>\n<p>Determining what exercise works for you during egg freezing is incredibly personal, however. \u201cIt\u2019s always important, at any phase of life, to pay attention to your body and needs when exercising, but this is even more so when you\u2019re going through a physical change like egg freezing,\u201d advises <a href=\"https:\/\/bthemethod.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/bthemethod.com\/\">Lia Bartha<\/a>, founder of B the Method. \u201cEvery person\u2019s experience will be different, so the connection to your body will be crucial in determining whether exercise is right for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s always a good idea to discuss anything you\u2019re uncertain about with your doctor, and if a workout or specific movement is causing discomfort or pain, it\u2019s best to rest and recover rather than push through. \u201cSome days may require movement for your mental and physical wellbeing, and others may require laying on the couch all day,\u201d adds Bartha. \u201cYour body will send you the signs, so make sure to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>When can you return to normal exercise following egg freezing?<\/h2>\n<p>There are a lot of misconceptions around the egg freezing process, not least of which is the timeline. After two weeks of daily injections and surgical egg retrieval, your mature eggs may be safely tucked into their new home in a cryopreservation facility, but your egg freezing journey is far from over. In fact, as I learned the morning of my retrieval, it can actually take an additional two weeks for the ovaries to return to their normal, pre-treatment size. This means that even though the treatment is technically over, you still can\u2019t resume high-impact exercise right away\u2014and determining when you are ready isn\u2019t exactly obvious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost patients feel ready to get back to their regular routine by the time their first period after the retrieval arrives (typically around 10 to 12 days after the egg retrieval),\u201d Dr. DeVore says. \u201cExceptions are women who had or were at risk for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, who may take more time to feel back to baseline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, some patients (including me) experience bloating and discomfort even after their periods arrive, so it\u2019s important to pay attention to how you feel, and know that the timing is different for everyone. \u201cBe kind to yourself,\u201d says Dr. DeVore. \u201cEveryone recovers at different paces, and your period is sometimes not the magical end date of symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>What are some other outlets for stress relief?<\/h2>\n<p>After learning that high-impact exercise would be off-limits to me for the better part of a month, I wondered how I would cope during this process, especially knowing that egg freezing\u2014and the surge of hormones that come with it\u2014can significantly heighten stress and anxiety. I had made a point of surrounding myself with people who love and care about me and planned to have friends around for most of my injections. Plus I had already-scheduled regular therapy appointments throughout the two weeks of injections, with the option to add an emergency session or two.<\/p>\n<p>But I knew that wouldn\u2019t be enough. My emotions are always a bit unpredictable, and I was certain that would only worsen with so many hormones pumping through my body. So, I decided I needed to find some alternatives that could provide the same sense of relief that going for a run or hopping onto a rowing machine usually did.<\/p>\n<p>At first, this meant lots of walks\u2014not just any walks but <em>reealllyy<\/em> 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 move around that much. I continued my at-home P.volve workouts, but I knew I needed something more intense to put my mind at ease.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d never had a ton of luck with meditation, but I remembered that every time I\u2019d ever done acupuncture, I\u2019d fallen into a meditative state. I scheduled an appointment at <a href=\"https:\/\/oraspace.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/oraspace.com\/\">Ora<\/a>, a favorite clinic in New York, during my first week of treatment and soon found out just how helpful acupuncture could be during this time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe egg freezing process, like all fertility treatments, is very stressful emotionally and physically, and acupuncture helps to create a calm mind and keeps the system in a healthy balance,\u201d says acupuncturist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acupuncture.nyc\/about-gabriel-sher-acupuncturist-nyc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.acupuncture.nyc\/about-gabriel-sher-acupuncturist-nyc\">Gabriel Sher, LAc<\/a>. But more than offering emotional relief, acupuncture has also been proven to help fertility. \u201cAcupuncture is an amazing alternative tool to create an optimal environment for healthy eggs to grow and develop,\u201d he says. \u201cIt has the ability to keep hormones in balance and to also rebalance the hormonal system after retrieval.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I also knew that the sudden lack of high-intensity exercise could take a toll on my energy levels. Rather than make up for this with multiple supplements every day, I opted for Perelel\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D104860X1561639%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DSTMSHL-1095199%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fperelelhealth.com%252Fproducts%252Fegg-freeze-support-pack&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fexercise-during-egg-freezing%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/perelelhealth.com\/products\/egg-freeze-support-pack\">Egg Freeze Support Pack<\/a>, which includes 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.<\/p>\n<h2>My takeaway<\/h2>\n<p>Despite my eagerness to freeze my eggs and the extensive research and planning I\u2019d done on exercising during this time, the truth is a lot of it still caught me by surprise. I assumed that I\u2019d wake up every morning, emotions running high and in dire need of an anxiety-relieving workout. In reality, my two weeks of treatment did send me on an emotional rollercoaster, with many more lows than highs. But as much as these feelings may have left me clamoring for a long run or HIIT class normally, the daily injections made their mark sooner than I\u2019d anticipated, and I was so physically uncomfortable by day four that the last thing on my mind was a workout.<\/p>\n<p>Weirdly, the most challenging part of the no-workout rule only came after my egg freezing treatment had come to a close. In the days following my retrieval, I experienced more pain and discomfort than at any other point in the process, and I couldn\u2019t even take my dog for his morning walk, let alone do a proper workout. When that pain subsided, however, I felt my hankering for exercise start to return, and I started 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 a 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 was to face even more time without exercise, though, I knew I had an arsenal of other tools to turn to in the meantime.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to freeze my eggs was always one rooted in control\u2014over my body, my biological clock, and my reproductive choices. What I quickly discovered, however, was that for roughly four weeks, I would have anything but. Every facet of my life, from planning meetings and social events around my daily appointments and nightly injections to deciding how and when I could move my body, was out of my hands. The irony was not lost on me, but I reminded myself of the light at the end of the tunnel: I would soon have potentially dozens of eggs, enough for the two or three children I know I eventually want, preserved at their peak, the weight of biological pressures removed entirely. I would have the security of knowing I can pursue my professional goals without forfeiting my chance at motherhood and can date without a fixed timeline in mind. Whenever I thought of this, I knew the short-term sacrifices would be worth it.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019d long craved, but more than that, it taught me a lesson I didn\u2019t know I needed: how to be okay with not being completely in control.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimers__after_content mb-[18px] mt-[16px] pt-[16px]\">\n<div class=\"outline-earmark relative mt-[8px] pt-[10px] pl-[20px]\">\n<p>\n            Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission.          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the moment I learned about egg freezing, sometime in my late teens, I knew it was something I wanted to do. This medical process extracts and preserves eggs, enabling women to postpone pregnancy, often beyond what would be biologically possible naturally\u2014something that really appealed to my need to be in control of all the &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}