Years ago, the idea of missing a meal was a little far-fetched. But in the last decade, the idea of extending the time period of non-eating has gained a lot of popularity. Called intermittent fasting, this method of timing your meals differently may help you lose weight and bring health benefits. But is this method good for women, or are there any special concerns?

What is Intermittent Fasting?

The average person eats their last meal between 6 pm and 8 pm and then eats breakfast between 6 and 7 am. Many decide to have a snack before bed as well. Thus, the amount of time spent non-eating is anywhere from 7 to 11 hours.

It takes the body about three to four hours to digest a meal. Thus, sleep time does not usually include any time for food digestion but instead coincides with your body taking time to repair and restore itself. The process of detoxification can also occur during this time.

When you decide to do intermittent fasting, you consciously commit to extending the time that your body repairs and restores itself. The amount of time spent not eating may be as little as four or six hours in some cases but is generally 10 to 12 hours and may extend to 24 hours. This may be repeated as often as you want during the week, but it should be within reason.

For example, doing an extended 24-hour fast every few days significantly cuts caloric intake, which may contribute to weight loss, but at the same time, it’s cutting nutrient intake as well. Your body requires vitamins and minerals to survive and to regulate your hormones. While you may make gains in repair and restoration initially, this process may be hindered by less than optimal nutrient intake.

Intermittent Fasting Options

Here are some possible options for intermittent fasting:

• Stop all eating after midnight and continue to eat breakfast at the regular time of 6 am
• 12-hour fasts daily or Sunday through Thursday, eating during the time frame of 7 am to 7 pm, 8 am to 8 pm, or any other 12-hour period to coincide with your work schedule
• 14-hour fasts daily where eating is confined to 7 am to 5 pm daily
• 16-hour fasts daily with meals between 6 am and 2 pm daily
• Fasting from 6 am on one day all the way to 6 am the next day

When meals are eaten during the eating times, no set type of food is chosen. It could be the standard American diet, keto, low carb, low fat, or diabetic diet, and the calories are not counted. What matters is the amount of time you do not eat.

What About Hunger?

Initially, when you start intermittent fasting, you may experience hunger during fasts of more than 12 hours. However, most people note that they are dealing more with habits of eating more than hunger pains. At 10 pm, if you usually snack, your body may remind you that it’s time to go to the kitchen, but it’s not because you are hungry. Thus, intermittent fasting is a way to start introducing discipline into your food life.

Intermittent Fasting for Women

Some studies have shown that intermittent fasting can affect a woman’s reproductive hormones negatively. For example, DHEA levels, which are important for ovarian function and the quality of a woman’s eggs, dropped 14% after eight weeks of fasting. However, the levels of estrogen did not change in women who had already gone through menopause. The women in this study had only fasted for four or six hours daily instead of the usual 12 hours seen in intermittent fasting. Yet they lost 3 to 4% of their body weight during the 8-week study.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who fast can expect positive benefits in menstrual cycles, ovulation, fertility, stress reduction, and insulin resistance.

Fasting also plays a role in positive mental health challenges, especially during menopause. It has been found to improve self-esteem, reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep, and improve social functioning.

More studies need to be done on women and intermittent fasting, and it’s possible that the best approach for women in their child-bearing years is to restrict the window of fasting time to 6 or 8 hours. Women who are in their menopausal years may be better off with the extended time of 12 hours or more for adequate repair and renewal of their bodies.