Hi guys, I need some help here. I come across a lot of content online that says women shouldn’t fast for longer periods of time and your cycle will be disrupted or your hormones will be disrupted etc. I have done 5 day fast before and I want to do a one week fast now but I’m entering my luteal phase. Will this be bad? I want to know from women who have fasted for long periods of time. How was your cycle affected?
I’ve been doing IF since July 2022, didn’t notice any major disruption in hormones with IF. No noticeable differences with 3 day water fasts for me either. Period was over a week late after a 7 day fast. Period is late now and I did a 14 day water fast last month.
I am reading fast like a girl by dr. Mindy Pelz. I highly recommend. She recommends a varied fasting schedule for the whole month of your cycle. She explains when it is easier for women to do two or three day fasts/OMAD/ADF and when women should switch to short fasts as to not disrupt our hormones.
I just finished up a 3 day fast and it caused a huge disruption in my cycle. For me I think it’s going to be a side affect of longer fasts and just expect it every time. It’s not ideal but to me the reward of the fast is greater than the pain of additional or off cycles. I’m done having children so I don’t need to have a consistent cycle.