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 into two 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 subjects before 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 of Dehydroepiandrostenedione (DHEA) had a significant decrease during the time of study in both groups (P=0.001, P=0.006). In addition, serum levels of LH significantly increased in the non-fasting group 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, it could be concluded that fasting has no effects on these parameters, and the changes in LH and FSH levels could be due to other contributing factors.