Household chores can help IVF to succeed

Gardening, doing the housework or going for brisk walks can treble IVF success, according to researchers.

Women who led active lifestyles in the year leading up to their treatment were far more likely to conceive.

Scientists have been divided about whether exercise helps or hinders the chances of pregnancy, either naturally or with IVF.

Active: Gardening, doing the housework or going for brisk walks can treble IVF success, researchers say

 Research: Women who go for brisk walks are three times more likely to conceive than those who spend most of the day sitting down

While some studies have found that physical activity reduces fertility, others have found it improves it – or makes no difference.

Now scientists have found that women who do the housework, go for brisk walks or take other ‘moderate’ forms of exercise are three times more likely to conceive than those who spend most of the day sitting down.

The lifestyles of 87 women undergoing IVF were compared in the year leading up to their treatment.

The researchers gave the women a score depending on how much physical activity they did each day.

This did not necessarily have to be exercise but could include dusting, vacuuming, pushing the buggy or gardening.

The findings will be presented this week to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s annual conference in San Diego, California.