Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Stress Neurohormones in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Objective: to determine the effects of ramadan fasting on serum levels of stress neurohormones in iranian women with polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos). materials and methods: this study was a clinical trial and was performed during july 2011 (month of ramadan) in royan institute, tehran. a total of 40 women who were aged 20-40 years and known cases of pcos and had no other medical diseases were included in the study. they were divided into two groups as follows: (i) study group (n = 20) who participated in ramadan fasting and (ii) control group (n = 20) who did not participate in fasting. for evaluating ramadan’s effect on the level of neurohormones serum level of the following variables were evaluated before and after ramadan: cortisol, adrenaline (a), noradrenalin (na), beta-endorphin (β-end), insulin, as well as sex hormones including follicle-stimulating hormone (fsh), luteinizing hormone (lh), and testosterone. results: in the study group after ramadan serum cortisol and nor-adrenaline levels were significantly lower than the initial levels obtained at beginning of ramadan (p < 0.05) as compared to control group. conclusion: this study indicates that ramadan fasting decreases stress neurohormones in women with pcos.