The impact of intermittent fasting on fertility: A focus on polycystic ovary syndrome and reproductive outcomes in Women — A systematic review
Velissariou M, Athanasiadou CR, Diamanti A, Lykeridou A, Sarantaki A · 2025 · Metabolism Open
DOI: 10.1016/j.metop.2024.100341View source ↗
“TRF interventions led to significant improvements in menstrual regularity, with 33–40% of participants reporting normalized cycles.”
Summary
This 2025 systematic review specifically addresses how intermittent fasting affects fertility and reproductive hormones in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) — the most common endocrine disorder of reproductive-aged women, characterized by hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, and menstrual irregularity. The authors synthesized three included studies of time-restricted feeding (TRF) and related IF protocols in PCOS patients. The findings were notably favorable. Menstrual regularity improved in 33–40 percent of participants — meaning a third or more of women with previously irregular cycles reported normalized cycling after TRF intervention. Hormonal changes pointed in the right direction for the PCOS phenotype: total testosterone fell about 9 percent, free androgen index dropped 26 percent, sex hormone-binding globulin rose, and anti-Müllerian hormone and luteinizing hormone both decreased. The review concludes that intermittent fasting, particularly time-restricted feeding, shows potential as a non-pharmacological adjunct intervention for improving reproductive health and fertility in women with PCOS by addressing the core pathophysiological mechanisms (insulin resistance, hyperandrogenism) that drive the syndrome.
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References cited by this entry
- ExtendsEffect of Intermittent Fasting on Reproductive Hormone Levels in Females and Males: A Review of Human TrialsCienfuegos S et al. · 2022
Cienfuegos 2022 reviewed IF effects on reproductive hormones broadly (women and men, mostly healthy populations); Velissariou 2025 narrows the focus to PCOS specifically and finds substantive menstrual-cycle and androgen improvements.
- ExtendsEnergy availability, not body fatness, regulates reproductive function in womenLoucks AB · 2003
Loucks established that low energy availability disrupts reproductive function in women generally; Velissariou shows that for women with PCOS — where insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism are dysregulated upstream — structured IF interventions can produce favorable hormonal shifts within energy-availability ranges that don't disrupt cycles.
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Not medical advice. This page summarizes primary research. It is not a substitute for consultation with a qualified clinician. See safety for exclusion criteria.