Fasting during a woman’s cycle – when is the right time?
When is the right time to fast during your cycle?
With this article, we would like to provide you with simple assistance so that you can answer the following question for yourself: When is the right time for therapeutic fasting during the female cycle? 
We have compiled this article together with Prof. Dr. Andreas Michalsen, one of the world's leading scientific experts in naturopathy, nutritional medicine, and fasting medicine. We are delighted to introduce you to our recommendations step by step. At Salufast, it is important to us that the program and all of the app's features are scientifically sound. Unfortunately, there is currently no evidence-based study on this topic that meets our standards. Nevertheless, we would like to explore the topic of therapeutic fasting during your cycle.
To begin with, we want to ensure there is a common understanding of the female cycle. Therefore, below we will discuss the three cycle phases: the menstrual phase, the preovulatory phase , and the luteal phase.
Your cycle begins with monthly bleeding – the menstrual phase
If the egg isn't fertilized, the excess lining (endometrium) of the uterus is expelled through the vagina. This is a completely natural cleansing process for women, which can last for varying lengths of time (approximately 5 to 7 days). During this menstrual phase, women often even lose some weight, which is due to a more intensive metabolism and increased water excretion. During this special phase of the female cycle, hormone levels (estrogen and progesterone) drop rapidly, and women are often more sensitive or withdrawn. You've probably experienced this yourself.
Old things are let go, and new things are built. During this phase, you should do something good for yourself mentally and physically, and not practice further deprivation. Listen to your body and allow yourself some rest or even retreat (if you feel like it).
Construction, growth and new beginnings represent the 2nd phase, the preovulatory phase
This phase begins with the end of your menstrual period. During the preovulatory phase, several follicles develop in the ovary for the next 14 days. At the end, only a single follicle bursts at ovulation, releasing the egg into the fallopian tube for fertilization. During this growth process, estrogen levels rise sharply—ovulation occurs when estrogen concentrations are at their highest. This increase is also noticeable in your physical condition.
"We found that estrogen reduces appetite by using the same metabolic pathway as the lipid metabolism hormone leptin," explains Tamas L. Horvath, lead author of the study and professor of comparative medicine at Yale University. January 4, 2007
Tip: Observe whether you feel more positive energy, activity, and vigor during this preovulatory phase. Amazingly, scientists have even discovered that this increase in estrogen also leads to a decrease in appetite.
Ovulation begins phase 3 – the luteal phase
Once the follicle has released the egg, it transforms into the corpus luteum. This corpus luteum secretes increased amounts of the hormone progesterone to prepare the uterine lining for implantation of the embryo. If fertilization fails, the corpus luteum regresses and hormone levels drop. Then it all starts again – with menstruation in Phase 1 described above, the excess lining is shed.
At the beginning of the luteal phase, your appetite increases significantly, and cravings noticeably arise. This is caused by the hormone progesterone, which rises with ovulation and only decreases shortly before your period begins. At the same time, your energy level gradually decreases during this phase, and your body temperature slowly rises again. Your body is now gradually preparing for the upcoming cleansing (menstruation).
You may experience this as mild fatigue, muscle weakness, mood swings, or premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Use this phase to wind down a bit.
When is the right time for a woman to fast?
Based on numerous reports and increasing knowledge regarding the biological processes involved in therapeutic fasting , we recommend the preovulatory phase (phase 2). The ideal time for your therapeutic fasting regimen with Salufast is therefore from the end of your period until ovulation.
It's important to note that the preovulatory phase is characterized by a lower core body temperature. Since fasting also lowers body temperature by a few degrees, the familiar chills occur during this time. Our warm meals and specially formulated teas in the fasting box effectively counteract this feeling of cold. After many exhausting experiences with juice cleanses, the benefits of warm fasting meals are particularly evident – warming the body from within with dietary-balanced meals is half the battle.
The advantages of this phase of the cycle for therapeutic fasting are clear to us:
It's important to note that not every woman's cycle corresponds to her menstrual cycle, and menstrual fluctuations and missed periods can occur. Since the findings listed above have not yet been scientifically studied and proven, we would like to point out that this is merely a so-called expert recommendation—that is, based on previous (clinical) experience and observations. Although we already have ample observational evidence to draw on, "hard" evidence is unfortunately not yet available. (We intend to address this in the future.)
Ideally, you should observe the different phases of your cycle to find the right time for therapeutic fasting. For example, you could observe during which phase you feel more hungry and during which phase it is more difficult for you to abstain from food. During this phase, we recommend that you do not fast , but choose a different phase of your cycle.
In any case, there seem to be some positive changes after fasting : Older textbooks report improvements in premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and increased cycle regularity. Unfortunately, there are no large-scale studies on therapeutic fasting during the cycle that can scientifically prove these positive changes.
Fertility & Fasting – what you should know
Hunger is "stress," and our clever body naturally doesn't invest energy in reproduction in times of need. This makes perfect sense from an evolutionary perspective, because our body doesn't know how long it needs to conserve or save, and our offspring would also suffer from hunger in hard times. Therefore, fertility in both men and women is reduced in terms of hormonal indicators.
Interestingly, there is exciting evidence that fertility and fertility are increased after a fast. Biologically, this also makes sense. Now the hardship is over, and the period of renewed access to food should be quickly used to produce offspring.
The Charité Hospital in Berlin is currently conducting a study in cooperation with Salufast to determine whether fasting can improve sperm quality. It has already been shown that fasting can influence some crucial hormonal processes associated with the desire to have children and sperm quality. The study is conducted at any location and is aimed at men aged 18-50 who have been trying to conceive for at least one year.
Learn more about the study: https://naturheilkunde.immanuel.de/forschung/aktuelle-studien/ernaehrung-bei-kinderwunsch/fasten-zur-verbesserung-der-spermienqualitaet/