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Dr Odile Bagot (Gynecologist-obstetrician)
While intermittent fasting appears as a trend followed on social networks to lose weight, doctors warn: the practice could also influence female cycles and therefore fertility. What does our expert, Dr Odile Bagot, gynecologist, think?
Often presented as a panacea for easily losing weight and reducing the number of calories consumed, is intermittent fasting safe? According to some doctors, it could cause irregular periods with possible harmful repercussions on health and fertility.
Lack of nutrients disrupts hormone production
According to experts interviewed by the Daily Mail on August 11, intermittent fasting, which consists of alternating between fasting days and normal eating days, forces the body to spend long periods without nutrients, sometimes 12 or 16 hours. Which can lead to hormonal deficiencies, causing menstrual cycles to be irregular or stop altogether.
Too long or too frequent fasting can disrupt the production of two hormones: luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). These two elements are secreted by the pituitary gland into the hypothalamus and regulate the menstrual cycle by preparing the body for ovulation, which involves the ovary releasing a mature egg. Without these hormones, women are more likely to have irregular periods and, in rarer cases, become infertile. Indeed, without periods, women cannot ovulate, which reduces their chances of getting pregnant.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Reduced calories also play a role
The other factor that poses a problem, the one for which people impose intermittent youth, is the very reduction in calories involved. “You need to have enough calories for your body to function” indicates Carolyn Williams, dietitian, interviewed by the media.
A theory confirmed by our expert, Dr Odile Bagot, gynecologist, particularly with regard to fertility.
“It’s very simple, estrogen and progesterone are only made from cholesterol. If the body does not provide enough cholesterol, whether with a vegetarian diet or otherwise, the body then draws on your own fats, you will lose weight. But your cycle can be disrupted. This is actually what we see in young women suffering from anorexia: they no longer have periods.”
The rules are therefore the warning signal to take into account. “Normally if a woman still has a regular cycle, her fertility is not altered, but if the weight loss is too rapid, and the fat mass is too low, the cycle may stop. specifies our expert.
Therefore, drastic intermittent fasting is not recommended if your menstrual cycles are irregular, if you are trying to get pregnant or even less if you are already pregnant.
Dr. Bagot advocates balance and moderation: “Nature is not stupid, when a woman does not seem strong enough to have a baby (in the case of dieting, weight loss, etc.), fertility declines. But adopt a balanced lifestyle and everything will be fine!”