Ramadan and Pregnancy
Sarah Azad, MD
This Ramadan will start in mid-February, and the fasts will last 12-13 hours. Fasting during pregnancy raises many questions.
Every pregnancy is different. Each person has various medical issues, different weight issues, and different issues with their pregnancy, so please bring up fasting during one of your appointments, ideally, 2-4 weeks before Ramadan begins.
Fasting in pregnancy is not unsafe. When women are scheduled for cesarean sections, they used to be routinely advised to fast (no water, no food) for 8 hours. But, day after day, 12–13 hour fasts are different.
Much of what you can do depends on how far along you are in your pregnancy. The most challenging time to fast is in the first 6-14 weeks of pregnancy. This time of pregnancy is when the stomach causes the most trouble with nausea, vomiting, etc. Some patients have relatively mild symptoms, while others require regular medication. If you’re in this stage of pregnancy, and you have been eating every 1-2 hours to keep the nausea at bay, fasting may not be reasonable. For those who would like to fast, some patients who can’t fast the first two weeks of Ramadan can by the time the last ten days come around.
If you feel well and want to fast, AND your physician agrees it’s safe to fast for you and your specific health conditions this pregnancy, here are the rules (not guidelines) for safe fasting in pregnancy:
- You should be up for suhoor (the pre-dawn meal) and should have 0.5 to 1L of water during that time. If drinking that much water quickly is hard, give yourself time. Consider drinking a glass, praying two rakah, drinking a glass, etc.
- You should have another liter of water after iftar before you sleep.
- If you haven’t had at least 1.5-2 liters of water between iftar and sahoor, you should not fast that day.
- During the day, be aware of signs of significant dehydration.
- Lightheadedness or dizziness that lasts more than 30-40 seconds. Should this occur, you should break your fast and start drinking water.
- Another sign of dehydration after 24 weeks of pregnancy is contractions. Sometimes, when the body is dehydrated, the uterus starts to contract. For women further along in their pregnancy, you should break your fast and start drinking water if you begin to feel regular contractions or cramping.
- Weigh yourself just before sunset with the same clothes (or no clothes) once a week. You should not be losing weight. If you find you are losing weight, you should consider fasting every other day or two out of three days to keep adequate nutrition for your growing baby.
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