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what's the consensus on fasting while pregnant?

checked the info page and FAQs, didn’t see anything about it there.

did i miss it?

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Answer

Yes you missed it, it says in part 7 of “fasting in a nutshell” that pregnant people should not fast. It might be helpful to talk about it with your doctor as well so that you can get more specific information about the risks and how they apply to you specifically :)

Answer

There have been some clinical studies on pregnant women who fast during Ramadan: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3730448/

However, it may be associated with pre-term birth, particularly if you fast in the second trimester: https://nutrition.org/fasting-during-the-second-trimester-of-pregnancy-may-be-particularly-harmful/

The consensus seems to be it’s better to not risk it, and especially not with longer fasts. Ramadan is fasting from sun up to sun down, and if that could potentially cause issues, it’s not worth the risk of trying anything longer.

I’m curious why you’re asking, though. Do you have a health issue you’re hoping to treat with it? Gestational diabetes?

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This shouldn’t even be a question. I mean it’s not the time for taking food and nutrition away from your body because well it’s the only time when your body isn’t only yours actually. You’re responsible for feeding that being inside you. Also after baby is born there is the breastfeeding stage when fasting is STILL NOT the time. It’s a lot of sacrifice but it’s for the wellbeing of your baby so don’t deny it.

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Your baby is leaching all the nutrients from you. Women sometimes lose their teeth even without fasting. If you fast you could end up with so many problems, not to mentioned a low birth weight baby in the nicu.

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There are no studies on women fasting during pregnancy.

That said, anyone who has gone through pregnancy knows that it’s possible to fast and has even done it, though usually involuntarily due to nausea and vomiting.

I wouldn’t do it if I were you. Nature will probably make you fast at some points, but you need protein and fat during this period of growth.

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I do it to control my blood sugar while pregnant and have had no issues, but I never go longer than 22 hours and usually stop at 18 hours. When I do eat, it’s healthy and high fat foods to keep me full for longer. I read studies on the safety of fasting while pregnant and nothing concerned me about it. Don’t do it to lose weight though, I’d say it’s really just a last resort for blood sugar issues.

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My wife did it. For 24 hours. On doctor’s orders right before a gestational diabetes test so they can measure a baseline. Then they take your blood and give you a slurry of sucrose to test your blood sugar at various times. A super limited medically prescribed and supervised should be the only time during pregnancy.

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