trying to concieve – bikram still ok?

Hi Lelly

I can just bet that any so-called evidence either FOR or AGAINST doing or starting hot yoga during pregnancy is based on anecdotal experience, fear, hearsay, ignorance and totally befuddlement. 😆

I have read that people believe that doing yoga in the hot room will result in small sized babies! Hmmmm. Based on what controlled study with how many moms to be?

My point? You have to make up your own mind. You will find other posts that give people’s opinions. Mine is that if you are trying to get pregnant or you are pregnant, then do what you know. Ie don’t START a practice in the hot room (unless you’re absolutely 100% aligned with your decision!).

Can you think of a reason why you shouldn’t do the yoga? What qualifies as a valid answer is if you believe it’s contraindicated in your case. If you’re in class and every time you’re worried for your own health then don’t do it. But if you’re feeling fabulous and know you’re doing the best for your health and wellbeing then continue the yoga.

The other thing is that you have been pregnant before. How was the pregnancy? This could determine the way you think now.

I must add that if you’re attending a studio where the heat is unduly high then this can be risky for everyone. So take the commonsense approach. Do the yoga in the right conditions.

There are PLENTY of women out there who have conceived during their practice of hot yoga (not literally 😉 ) including me.

Remember that rest is an important part of your practice schedule so maximum 5 times per week.

So, what do you think?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Lelly

I really have no idea about the issue of temperatures affecting sperm as it pertains to hot yoga. I do know however that some studios have a cooler part. Are there places you can practice where you can feel a slight breeze or a little more air circulation near a window or a door? Somewhere where you’re sure your body is able to keep the cooling mechanisms in check?

Just a thought. Sometimes it can be in our heads and a slight tweak in our mental approach say, due to your physical position in the room, can make a big difference to keep your mind at ease.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi folks,

I’m new here, & about to post on the hot yoga & ivf thread but I found this one…

As a lover of Bikram and someone who’s been on a fertility journey for three years, I’ve done an awful lot of research.

I’ve been told to steer clear of hot yoga while trying to conceive by fertility experts and by one of the fertility books – ‘The Fertility Diet’ (though I’m not a big fan of that book).

For women, the main reason we are advised to steer clear of it is because of basal temperature. Basically, if you chart your temperature every day for a month & also do ovulation tests, you’ll see that you release an egg on your very coldest day of the month and only on that one coldest day – if you mess with your temperature, you may not release that precious egg, or not release it at the optimal time.

The temperature dip that initiates ovulation is scientific fact. There isn’t any research on whether hot yoga stops ovulation happening – but it seems like common sense to avoid it at least around the time of ovulation.

Of course there will always be some women who get pregnant if a man across the road sneezes, but for those of us struggling to conceive, it’s no harm having all the info so we can make informed decisions.

Both doctors and yoga teachers need to focus more on the info IMHO. Doctors often seem to tell us what to do, without giving us the reasons why – and that leads to confusion, doubt and following the advice of the uninformed.

On the other hand, I believe my Bikram teachers need to smarten up a bit – all I’ve heard from them regarding bikram & conception is platitudes regarding feel good hormones & how other women have been fine. They work with a system which uses temperature – yet they don’t understand the importance of basal temperature in a woman’s cycle? Ignorance posing as expertise, I’m afraid.

(BTW, in every other way, I’ve found Bikram great, but fertility is too important to listen to someone who does not have enough training in this area).

Another tip – one of the reasons the docs tell us to cut down on exercise while trying to conceive is that eostrogen is stored in fat cells, so it’s good to have a few of them to spare!!

I’m 5″4 & a mere 115lbs narturally, so I’m tucking into a pizza right now – doctor’s orders! 😀