Sep 14, 2026 · 35 min · 12 segments
"Jewish Fast Days: Can Pregnant Women Try to Fast?" - with Dr. Stephanie Melka
Stephanie MelkaGuestAnd then just to, to take a step back, just so everyone understands, what about fasting might be an issue for pregnancy? Like, why might a pregnant woman not be able to fast? And in terms of, like, what could happen, not so much what are the conditions, but what could happen in general to them?
You know, the main thing, it's not the lack of food, it's the lack of hydration.
You know, getting dehydrated, you'll see people get crampy, some women get dizzy.
They're more prone to get low blood pressure, and so they're more prone to get lightheaded when they fast, dizzy, weak.
Uh, many women who when they fast get contractions, it does not mean they're gonna go into labor necessarily, but it is a possibility.
And also there is an increased risk, which is rare, but there is an increased risk in pregnancy of getting blood clotting, so when people get dehydrated, that's why if they have other risk factors for blood clotting, we frequently will tell them they shouldn't fast in that sense.
There is evidence that after Yom Kippur there is a higher rate of going into labor, more so at the end of pregnancy than preterm, but there is something to it.
Yeah, but if it's somebody that's had a prior 28-week preterm delivery that now is 29 weeks-
And then just to, to take a step back, just so everyone understands, what about fasting might be an issue for pregnancy? Like, why might a pregnant woman not be able to fast? And in terms of, like, what could happen, not so much what are the conditions, but what could happen in general to them?
You know, the main thing, it's not the lack of food, it's the lack of hydration.
You know, getting dehydrated, you'll see people get crampy, some women get dizzy.
They're more prone to get low blood pressure, and so they're more prone to get lightheaded when they fast, dizzy, weak.
Uh, many women who when they fast get contractions, it does not mean they're gonna go into labor necessarily, but it is a possibility.
And also there is an increased risk, which is rare, but there is an increased risk in pregnancy of getting blood clotting, so when people get dehydrated, that's why if they have other risk factors for blood clotting, we frequently will tell them they shouldn't fast in that sense.
There is evidence that after Yom Kippur there is a higher rate of going into labor, more so at the end of pregnancy than preterm, but there is something to it.
Yeah, but if it's somebody that's had a prior 28-week preterm delivery that now is 29 weeks-
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