4-minute read

Quick Read

When I started fertility treatment, I thought the clinic would tell me everything I needed to do. Instead, I realised that while the clinic was there to guide my treatment, I also needed to take ownership of the many lifestyle choices surrounding it.

As I began planning my nutrition, sleep, exercise, appointments and daily routines, something unexpected happened. I didn't become more anxious trying to "do everything"—I became calmer because I finally felt I was doing everything that was reasonably within my power.

Years later, I discovered that psychologists have long recognised something similar. When we focus on meaningful actions we can control during uncertain situations, we may cope better emotionally.

This article is the story behind What I Can Control—the planner I created from my own fertility journey, in the hope that it might help someone else too.

Key Takeaways

• Trying to conceive often creates uncertainty, making it easy to constantly wonder whether you are doing enough.

• Creating a realistic plan helped me replace constant overthinking with purposeful action.

• Feeling that you are doing everything reasonably within your power can reduce the mental burden of uncertainty.

• Research suggests that perceived control and self-efficacy are associated with better psychological adjustment during fertility treatment.

• What I Can Control grew directly from the planning system that helped me navigate my own fertility journey.

• You can download your free copy of What I Can Control using the link later in this article.

This article shares my personal experience alongside research and is intended for educational purposes. It should not replace personalised medical advice.

When trying to conceive, many women focus on ovulation tracking, hormone testing, supplements, or fertility treatment.

Exercise is often discussed too — but the advice can feel confusing.

Should you exercise more? Less? Does the type of movement matter?

Research suggests that mild-to-moderate exercise may support reproductive health, while very intense training may not always be beneficial.

But one important question is often missed:

Not all exercise is the same.

Different forms of movement train different systems and create different physiological adaptations.

The Aviva Method is different from general exercise because it was specifically developed with reproductive and pelvic health in mind.

So when we ask whether exercise can support fertility, the question is not only whether movement helps — but also what kind of movement may be most supportive.

Quick summary

✓ Mild-to-moderate exercise is generally considered compatible with — and often supportive of — reproductive health
✓ Exercise appears particularly beneficial in women with metabolic dysfunction such as PCOS
✓ Physical activity before IVF may improve pregnancy outcomes
✓ While fertility-specific Aviva studies have not yet been published, moderate exercise research, the method’s reproductive-health design, and decades of instructor and participant experience together provide a meaningful rationale for its use as a complementary practice