Exercising too hard in a hot environment can cause menstrual disorders, affect sperm quality, and reduce the ability to conceive in men and women.
Master, Doctor Nguyen Xuan Anh Duy, Center for Reproductive Support, Tam Anh General Hospital Hanoi (IVF Tam Anh), said regular, moderate-intensity physical activity helps improve blood flow to organs, muscle development, increased sensitivity of hormone receptors, promoting the release of sex hormones. This also helps balance the hormonal environment in the body, increasing the secretion of endorphins to improve mental health and hormones that support metabolism such as leptin to control hunger… Thanks to that, the body reduces fat and limits hunger. Reduce the risk of certain obesity-related conditions that can affect fertility in both sexes.
Dr. Duy noted that improper exercise can cause spermatogenesis disorders, reduce the number, mobility and viability of sperm, reduce ovarian function… affecting reproductive health.
Exercising too hard Prolonged exposure can cause chronic fatigue, physical weakness, and even hormone regulation disorders. For example, regular exercise with moderate intensity helps reduce baseline levels of cortisol (stress hormone secreted by the adrenal glands) and improve the body’s ability to withstand stress. On the contrary, prolonged high-intensity exercise can increase cortisol levels, harming mental health.
Men who do not exercise properly can experience decreased production of the hormone testosterone, leading to symptoms of hypogonadism such as decreased sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, and low semen volume. In women, this habit can lead to menstrual disorders and reduced fertility.
Dr. Duy explains that continuous energy deficiency due to prolonged overtraining can change the production and normal functioning of reproductive hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. At this time, the hormones responsible for controlling normal menstrual cycles such as GnRH, FSH, LH are inhibited, thereby leading to reduced estrogen and progesterone levels, causing ovulatory dysfunction and disorders. period. The luteal phase is shortened and low progesterone levels cause poor endometrial quality and difficulty conceiving or early miscarriage.
In addition to affecting fertility, hormone regulation disorders due to prolonged high-intensity exercise cause the body to always be in a state of energy deficiency, which can create many complex pathological spirals.
Abstinent diet strict Exercising can cause the body to lack many essential nutrients such as vitamin D, B12 and trace elements such as iron, calcium, zinc… leading to energy deficiency, negatively affecting the metabolism process. matter. This can cause the female body to reduce or even stop producing estrogen.
Dr. Duy said that women need a minimum of 17% fat to have menstruation and 22% to maintain regular ovulation. Below this level, ovulation disorders and irregular menstruation will occur, making it difficult to conceive. Studies show that body mass index (BMI) maintained within normal limits helps increase fertility in women. Similarly, men with a low BMI may have fertility problems due to hormone abnormalities and nutritional deficiencies. Low-fat diets are likely to lead to reduced testosterone production in the testicles, directly affecting sperm production, increasing background FSH hormone levels and reducing sperm density.
Exercising moderately and properly helps balance hormones and improve fertility. Illustration photo: Hai Au
Lack of professional guidance can cause the practitioner to not clearly understand the method and impact of the exercise on the body, making mistakes easily, which can lead to injury to the abdomen or genitals, especially in strong impact sports, gymnastics, etc. high intensity exercise.
For men, trauma can affect the nervous system, disrupt testosterone production, damage the testicles or deform the genitals, causing infertility. In women, improper posture can put pressure on the pelvic area and genitals. Physical trauma to the pelvic area and scarring after surgery can cause long-term damage to the function of the reproductive organs.
Exercise without moderationwithout a specific or irregular plan, erratic changes in lifestyle and exercise that affect hormone balance.
Being inactive increases the risk of being overweight or obese, increases estrogen levels, reduces the physiological function of the ovaries, risks gynecological infections and a number of diseases that affect female fertility such as the syndrome Polycystic ovary syndrome, diabetes, high blood pressure… Overweight and obesity also negatively affect the quality, reducing the quantity, mobility, viability of sperm, and erectile dysfunction.
Exercising in a temperature environment of cao increases body temperature. In men, this negatively affects sperm quality by reducing sperm concentration, motility and quantity. If the temperature in the testicles is equal to or higher than the body temperature, the testicles may stop making sperm. For women, this prolonged habit can reduce fertility by accelerating the aging process of the ovaries, according to Dr. Duy.
Not adding enough water When exercising, it can easily cause dehydration, body stress, affect metabolism, and endocrine disorders. For women, dehydration can increase estrogen, affect the menstrual cycle, cause fatigue, headaches and irritation. This is also a factor that causes dryness, reduces sexual desire, and reduces the chance of conception. For men, dehydration reduces blood flow to the reproductive organs and causes stress, contributing to erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, and reduced sperm quality.
Exercise too late in the evening can create a temporary feeling of excitement, thereby disrupting and reducing sleep quality. This is one of the causes of hormone imbalance in both men and women.
Lack of sleep for a long time can affect the hormone that triggers ovulation, LH, causing menstrual cycle disorders. This condition also causes stress because the body produces a lot of cortisol, increasing the risk of diseases that affect the ability to conceive such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. In men, stress reduces testosterone, leading to reduced sperm quantity and quality, reduced desire and sexual ability.
Dr. Duy recommends that couples maintain about 7-8 hours of sleep each night to maintain endocrine physiology, regulate menstrual cycles, and improve egg and sperm quality.
Using muscle-building drugs, stimulants such as steroids or sports performance enhancers without medical advice can lead to hormonal imbalance, decreased sperm production, erectile dysfunction, and even Testicular atrophy.
In women, these substances can cause menstrual cycle disorders, hormone imbalance, increase the risk of ovarian and uterine disorders, and affect fertility. Many studies show that long-term steroid use makes it difficult for fertility to recover even after stopping use.