Does starting an exercise regime reduce my fertility/oestrogen?

[KittyCatKittyCat]

I started a pretty hardcore exercise regime 8 weeks ago (now into my 9th week). I'm really pleased with the results and hoped to make it part of my lifestyle but just had a horrid thought...

Is it going to make me less fertile?

Started ttc this month. My first AF during since the regime started was on time, as normal, despite those first few weeks being the hardest and having the biggest shock to my body. This AF is a bit late, I'm still waiting (early PG test a few days ago said negative).

Do I ditch the exercise? ):

Please advise!

Exercise, unless 'extreme' (think like Olympic training standard) shouldn't make you any less fertile, but if you've just suddenly leapt into hardcore exercise from doing nothing, it may have shocked/stressed your body enough to delay a period or delay ovulation.

If you're still having regular periods, you'll be fine. Very hardcore exercise can delay ovulation and periods but you will notice that when your period doesn't arrive! Also, if it does happen, it's reversible upon stopping / reducing the exercise levels. If your period is just a little delayed, it could still I guess be having a small effect but as long as your period does actually come, you will still be able to get pregnant.

The reason it can happen is that when you do really a lot of hard exercise, your metabolism shoots up, and so the hormones going round your body get metabolised / used up a lot quicker than normal. This means that the levels are lower than normal, so there may not be enough in your system to trigger the cascade of events in the female cycle.

Keep doing it as long as your periods keep coming! It's obviously great for you and can only help once you do actually get pregnant.

True, but you CAN get periods and not ovulate as I understand it...so just getting your period wouldn't on its own be proof that you can get pregnant.

Yes I guess, but it would be (very?) unusual to continue to have regular periods and not be ovulating at all. Regular as in cycle lengths within about 4 days of each other, I think. Plus you can also have regular periods AND have every sign of ovulation but still have it take a fecking age to get up the duff [me]!!

Would it? That's kinda reassuring actually; I thought you could be regular and not ovulate at all.

Thanks for your responses, it did stretch the cycle out a bit (to 35 days, my longest had been 34), and I read elsewhere that generally it just extends cycles (extreme exercise can stop them).