The effects of Ramadan fasting on the level of sex hormones in pre-menarche girls in Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of Ramadan fasting on the level of sex hormones in girls between 9-13 years before age at menarche.This study was conducted on a sample of 58 subjects (age range: 9-13 years), who were divided intotwo groups of fasting (N=31) and non-fasting (N=27). The levels of follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), progesterone and estradiol were measured in all the subjectsbefore and after Ramadan. Measurements were carried out three days before the start of Ramadan,and one day afterwards.In this study, FSH levels significantly increased in the non-fasting group (P=0.01), and the level ofDehydroepiandrostenedione (DHEA) had a significant decrease during the time of study in bothgroups (P=0.001, P=0.006). In addition, serum levels of LH significantly increased in the non-fastinggroup after Ramadan (P=0.006), and estradiol significantly increased in both groups (P=0.008,P=0.004).Given the similar changes in the levels of DHEA, progesterone and estradiol in both study groups, itcould be concluded that fasting has no effects on these parameters, and the changes in LH and FSHlevels could be due to other contributing factors.

Keywords

• Ramadan fasting
• pre-menarche girls
• sex hormones
• puberty
• Diet