Exercising on Hormones

So one of the first things the nurse told me during my "training session" with her is that when I start my hormone cycle, I will need to take it easy with exercise.  Why?  Because the hormones are stimulating the ovaries, and they will enlarge as they grow more follicles than usually do.  If I were to do bouncy exercise or do inversions in yoga, I run the risk of ovarian torsion, which is when ovaries do a somersault and the fallopian tubes holding my ovaries in place get all twisted up.  If this were to happen, I'm told that I will feel severe pain in my abdomen, and that I should go to the ER.  They should be able to untwist the ovaries, but there is a chance that I'd lose an ovary (if blood restriction were severe) and/or do permanent damage to my reproductive organs.

Right, so no exercise during stims.  I'm not a gym rat to begin with, but I do enjoy doing yoga a couple of times a week, and I was hoping to continue this during my cycle.  However, I spoke with my (amazing) yoga instructor, Stephanie, who said that during hormone injections (and also when women are pregnant), their connective tissue grows elastic and is therefore susceptible to tearing and stretching.  And ligaments don't "stretch back".  Stephanie suggested that I not attend class during my cycle and for a week or two afterwards until the hormones have left my body, and instead, she helped me shape a home practice that is suitable for my condition.

Some general "Do's":

• most standing poses will be OK, but I may want to work with my feet wider than usual
• symmetrical poses are ideal; try to avoid asymmetrical poses
• side bends are great because they elongate the iliopsoas muscles in the abdomen, which help create "space" for whatever is going on in my belly
• go easy on the ligaments; my body is different under the influence of hormones, so I have to be more gentle

Some "Don'ts":

• No twisting, deep forward bending, or core exercises in general (compresses the ab area)
• No inversions
• No sun salutations, especially with jumping (in addition to risk of torsion, she thinks there's too much risk for ligament damage in my hormone-filled state)
• Only do what feels good

Here are some examples of poses, she said are great:

• Downward-facing dog, or the modified versions of "Wall dog"or "Chair dog" (doing a "down dog with your hands against the wall or back of chair)
• Warrior 2 (up to seven breaths on each side)
• Triangle (up to seven breaths on each side)
• Ardha Chandrasana or "Half Moon" (one of my favorite standing poses!  apparently very good for fertility in general)
• Supported Bridge Pose with a block under my low back for support
• Supported Fish Pose with a rolled up blanket under my shoulder blades, knees, and head for support
• Side Bends from either supported Virasana (sitting on a block) or sitting on the floor with your feet out in a V
• Supta Baddha Konasana or "supported reclining bound ankle pose"- I must modify this pose by setting up a bolster on a block so it's almost like a leanback.  Then I sit with my back against the bolster (my butt should be hanging off) so that I'm sitting up more than the guy in this picture.  I must also support the knees with blocks or blankets so that I don't overstretch my hip or knee ligaments.  I can sit in this position for 15 minutes or as long as I like.  Stephanie said that if I do one pose, this should be it for its therapeutic and calming benefits.

In terms of other exercise, my nurse said that leisurely walks are fine, and that I shouldn't be concerned about running up or down the stairs to catch the subway.  I also plan to go for gentle bicycle rides-- hope that isn't considered too "bouncy".   I will ask my nurse before I do that though.  It's too hot this weekend anyway!