The Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Hypothalamic Pituitary Ovarian (HPO) Axis in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Background: ramadan fasting is a religious practice and an exceptional ritual compared to all other religious conventions. the aim of fasting in ramadan is to establish a proper religious model of self-control and healthy lifestyle. objectives: the purpose of this study was to compare the biochemical neurohormones between women with polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) with and without fasting. materials and methods: this study was conducted during july 2011 at the infertility center of royan institute, and comprised 40 patients diagnosed with pcos, aged from 20-40 years without any special disease. the study group included 20 women with pcos and fasting during ramadan. the control group consisted of 20 non-fasting women with pcos. the study on the effects of fasting on patients with polycystic ovary syndrome involved demographic data and biochemical stress hormones including cortisol, adrenaline, noradrenaline, beta-endorphin and insulin. results: in patients with pcos, mean of cortisol in subjects with and without fasting were 8.2 ± 4.4 and 11.2 ± 4.7, respectively (p = 0.049). also the respective median of nor-adrenaline in fasting and non-fasting patients were 1273.5 and 1503.5 (p = 0.047). however, no significant differences were found in adrenalin (p = 0.151), beta-endorphin (p = 0.543) and insulin (p = 0.818) between pcos two groups. conclusions: this study showed that ramadan fasting is a well known practice to reduce stress hormones in women with pcos. so, ramadan, beside its spiritual benefit is a blessing from god for improving human lifestyle.