Does Fasting Wreck Your Hormones?

Think fast! Research on fasting shows that it has no negative effects on a woman's reproductive hormone levels. Both groups were studied and their were no significant changes. If you are considering intermittent fasting, check out the research below! It's all in the facts! If you are interested in learning beyond those articles, check out The Galveston Diet!

Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Reproductive Hormone Levels in Females and Males: A Review of Human Trials

Effect of time-restricted eating on sex hormone levels in premenopausal and postmenopausal females

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- About Dr. Mary Claire Haver and The Galveston Diet -
Dr. Mary Claire Haver is a passionate women’s health advocate who believes women in midlife deserve to live their best life. She cuts through fat-shaming and fads, so women are empowered with the science behind anti-inflammation nutrition.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver is a wife, mom, physician, and entrepreneur who has devoted her adult life to women’s health. As a Board-Certified OBGYN in the Houston area, Dr. Haver has delivered thousands of babies, completed thousands of well-woman exams, counseled patients, taught residents, and did everything an academic professor and OBGYN could do.

As her patient population aged, Dr. Haver was overwhelmed with the number of complaints and concerns her patients had with weight gain while going through menopause. For years, she told her patients to eat less and exercise more. It wasn't until she experienced the changes of menopause and mid-life weight gain that she realized this advice doesn't work and ultimately led to her creating and developing a new program, The Galveston Diet.

The Galveston Diet is the first and only nutrition program created by a Female OBGYN, designed for women in menopause. The Galveston Diet helps women reach their health and wellness goals through an anti-inflammatory approach to nutrition. Dr. Haver believes in food's power to combat inflammation and highly recommends the unlimited benefits of intermittent fasting. As part of her ongoing research, she became certified in Culinary Medicine in 2019, specializing in medical nutrition.

[wlcmref]

I did fasting for years and was a real fan of it . However, I started experiencing anxiety and insomnia . Please be careful

[avaglynn]

But if you still have a cycle it's not great to fast during the end of the luteal phase. I find that if I fast during that time I have much less energy and feel terrible. Makes sense, my body is preparing to get pregnant. So I intermittent fast all other times but during that time I eat if I'm hungry. Otherwise I start to get PMDD symptoms. Learning this has helped my mood in my luteal phase a ton.

[KP-uspq]

I tried to do intermittent fasting and I realized after getting blood work that the reason I was feeling so anxious and terrible is my blood sugar was getting way too low. Like not a little low but very very low. I realize I was feeling worse and not better so I stopped. But I think it can work for other people but just not me lol.

[susanfast]

Glad it's not having an effect. I do feel I eat less at the end of the day simply by fasting 16:8.

[essence]

Our ancestors fasted for days, food wax not available in supermarkets, we had to hunt it down....our bodies have not evolved that much ...we should be fasting 1 x week....

[foxInGloves]

What scale were these studies? How many women involved? Very interesting information.

[bhsqyno]

What about what Dr Mindy Pelz says?!?! Oh shucks this is getting more and more complicated

[stellarogers-oodi]

I fast from 6pm to 10:30am next morning. I feel better! Doctors need more education on menopause…

[laurieshaw]

Unless your cortisol levels are off the charts and then it stresses your body out even more!

[haylslouise]

The health benefits of intermittent fasting are amazing! But from my personal experience, it does alter hormone levels because my SHBG levels decreased resulting in lowered estrogen and increased testosterone activity. Now I'm perimenopausal at 29 (started when I was 27)

[kale-bopp]

Tuned into a Huberman podcast this morning about female exercise and nutrition, only to hear a qualified female doctor walk through the many reasons fasting is “detrimental” to women. Honestly, I can’t keep up. I just started IF a few days ago (16:8) and this was crushing. How can people ever hope to be healthy when there is zero clinical consensus about how to get there? For every peer reviewed study saying one thing there’s a peer reviewed study that says the opposite. Tired of it.

[melissacastle]

Can you make a vid on long term fasting with a doctors care while taking supplements. I keep seeing three month fasts. An obese man in England fasted for over a year. He lost all the weight and stayed healthy after. I have lost all desire to eat.

[kathrynhogan]

I did a 40 day water fast but hormones did mess up the last 10 days in a big way.

[carolinemarie]

We just need to make sure we have enough fat on us for the fast. If not, we need to eat protein.

[justaperson]

Postmenopausal and lost all my energy after fasting and IF for a month. Ate only clean foods. Worked out with weights and walking. Got enough sleep and drank enough water and now I’m exhausted all the time. Looking for answers. 😢

[wendylee]

I tried intermittent fasting, and my endocrinologist told me not to do that. I think it’s because I have low blood sugar. I did buy the Galveston diet cookbook and I’m going to start it soon. I just can’t get past the bloating and constipation and I’ve tried everything that you can ever think of and I’m still bloated and constipated and I’ve gained 10 to 15 pounds since Covid and it doesn’t seem like a lot but it was small frame person. I feel horrible and by midday I look like I’m very pregnant! I am on the bio, identical, hormone patch, and if it wasn’t for the bloating and constipation, I would be doing really well. And I’ve tried all the fiber supplements those only make it worse, and I slowly increased my favor and water intake and I still am constipated at times and bloated every single day. I don’t know what else to do

[christinas]

What about the effect on Cortisol
I wonder? I was big into intermittent fasting back in 2013 ( when I didn’t need to be). I was up to a 20:4 protocol. I was very lean. But I couldn’t figure out back then why I was having insomnia. Nothing good was happening with my mood either. I finally stopped when I was puffy and bloated so much, I thought I had wrecked my thyroid or something. Fast forward years later now in my supposed perimenopause ( I get a regular period 🤷‍♀️), the IF never works, even a 16:8 protocol. I’m pretty sure I’m fatter when I’m doing it which I know sounds crazy, I feel like it has the opposite effect of what is intended. My theory is because I workout everyday. So it’s like another stressor ( not eating) on top of daily intense or less intense exercise ( exercise is a stressor), and on top of all regular daily life stressors ( kids, family, work, etc). This is supposed to help a woman in her 40s get leaner? There’s no balance in this it seems. I feel like our bodies are smarter than this, like it’s going to slow down our metabolism or something. A woman on HRT might have a whole different experience with IF. But then there are so many women who love IF so we are all so different. I’d be curious of women who’ve also had negative experiences with IF.

[realdeal]

Pre and post but what about say a 72hr fast for menopausal women on BIO HRT ?

[aubreyaubrey]

For me it triggered an eating disorder

[maryla]

I wonder if these questions were due to exercising whilen in a fasted state or fad fasting, which does hurt women.