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Expert Q&A

	By Allison Gamble Nutritionist/Diet Technician Highland Park Hospital, Illinois

I am Muslim and Ramadhan, the month where Muslims fast during the daylight hours is during December. I will be over six months pregnant at the time. Although I am excused religiously from fasting (no food or liquid in daylight hours) during this month, I would like to know if it would be safe to do so at any time and for what length of time? (I am also thinking of Jewish ladies who may fast one day on Yom Kippur or something like this would time frame matter or not?)"

I found no conclusive studies about the effects of fasting during pregnancy in my personal references. I did find one study done in 1981 and 1982, by Kaplan, Eidelman and Aboulafia in Jerusalem that noted some interesting findings. After a 24 hour fast, for Yom Kippur, the number of deliveries increased. They concluded that women who have a tendency for early birth may be at risk for delivering early, even with only a 24 hour fast. They thought this would be due to the biochemical changes that occur when someone fasts. ( Nutrition in Pregnancy and Lactation, fifth edition, Worthington- Roberts and Williams.) I personally do not believe fasting for any length of time is advisable during pregnancy. Every second your baby is growing and it needs all the nutritional support it can get. While I doubt one day of fasting would deplete a woman of all her nutrient supplies, I would still not recommend it."

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