Effect of exercise, body mass index, and waist to hip ratio on female fertility

Infertility is a common problem among many couples. Exercise and weight loss seem to be among the effective factors on fertility. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise, body mass index (BMI), and waist to hip ratio (WHR) with female fertility.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on the data collected from Shahedieh Cohort. In this research, 1445 women (717 infertile and 728 fertile) were selected using the multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data on exercise, BMI, and WHR were compared between the infertile and fertile female groups. Independent t-test and logistic regression were used to analyze the data.

A significant difference was found between the two study groups regarding BMI, WHR, and exercise levels (P <0.05). The results of regression test showed that pysical activity had a significant effect on fertility (P <0.01), but BMI and WHR had no significant effect on it (P = 0.38 and 0.35, respectively).

Based on the findings, it seems that exercise, regardless of changes in BMI and WHR, can increase fertility.