Symptoms, Causes, Prevention, and Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle Changes for Ovulation

The following lifestyle tips can also help improve fertility.

Note: Following a May 2026 global consensus, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is now officially called Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) to highlight the metabolic roots of the condition.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Obesity causes irregular menstrual cycles and might even stop ovulation altogether. Without ovulation, a pregnancy can’t happen. Conditions that are related to obesity, like PMOS and types 2 diabetes, can also affect ovulation.

Having a body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9 significantly increases your chances of ovulation and pregnancy. Your doctor can recommend a diet and exercise program to help you stay at a healthy body weight.

Avoid Exposure to Harmful Substances

The following substances may alter your hormone levels in ways that disrupt ovulation:

• Smoking: Chemicals in tobacco smoke lower levels of estrogen and progesterone. This drop in hormones can cause a reduction in egg quantity and quality. Smoking also damages the DNA in eggs, increasing the risk for miscarriage and birth defects.
• Heavy alcohol use: Drinking more than one or two alcoholic beverages each day could affect ovulation. Abstention from alcohol is best when you’re trying to conceive.
• Caffeine: While one or two small (6- to 8-ounce) cups of coffee a day shouldn’t affect your ability to get pregnant, drinking more than that may cause problems with ovulation and reproduction.
• Chemical exposure: Exposure to pesticides, heavy metals, dry cleaning chemicals, and other toxins in the environment and at work might have a negative effect on ovulation and fertility.

Exercise in Moderation

Moderate aerobic exercise, like walking or riding on a stationary bike, may help with ovulation and fertility. But very intense exercise could have the opposite effect, especially in people who are already at a healthy weight. Working out for too long or too hard might actually stop ovulation and menstrual periods and make it more difficult to conceive.