Lens
Culture
Fasting, feasting, the calendar of the body.
Topics in this lens
- Fasting & Ramadan
- Festivals
- Faith & fertility
- The body's calendar
Muslims live in the UK. Research confirms that for most healthy women, Ramadan fasting does not significantly reduce IVF success rates when treatment is planned appropriately — yet most clinics offer no guidance on this
ONS Census 2021 · Ali et al., Human Reproduction 2020Culture shapes the rhythm of our days, including the days we eat, rest, celebrate, and mourn. For South Asian people navigating fertility, those rhythms are not a complication to manage. They are part of who we are.
Everyday practice
Fasting
Fasting holds genuine spiritual meaning in South Asian traditions, and the nutritional mechanics of fasting interact with reproductive health in ways that are worth understanding. The most acute example is Ramadan and IVF. Ovulation induction requires daily injections, and a 15-hour fast can disrupt medication timing and the body's absorption of nutrients that support follicle development. Medical exemption from fasting exists in Islamic jurisprudence, based on Surah Al-Baqarah 2:185, but that exemption is culturally under-used, and imams rarely counsel couples on how fertility treatment and fasting periods might interact.
Jain fasting carries its own nutritional profile. Jain strict vegetarianism creates documented risk of iron and B12 deficiency, and during the 8-day Paryushan festival, some households observe significant dietary restriction. For Gujarati Jain women trying to conceive or in early pregnancy, this is worth a focused conversation with a nutritionist who understands Jain dietary patterns, not one who dismisses them.
Karwa Chauth and Teej are deeply meaningful rituals in Punjabi Hindu and Sikh communities, involving a full day without food or water. The nutritional impact of a single day is low for most people, but no quantitative study on fertility outcomes has been done. If you observe these fasts and are tracking your cycle, it is worth knowing where they fall in your month, particularly in relation to your ovulation window. The planner below gives you a practical map.
Festivals
South Asian festivals are not just cultural calendar events. For many families, they function as decision-making moments for major life events, including when to try for a child. Bangladeshi and Pakistani Muslim couples have been documented as wanting to resolve fertility before Hajj or Umrah, a spiritual timing that can add urgency or delay to treatment choices. Punjabi Hindu and Sikh couples visit sites such as Hardwar, Varanasi, the Golden Temple, and Dera Baba Nanak for fertility blessings before conception. These are cultural patterns, not quantifiable rates, but they shape the real timeline of fertility decisions in a way a generic NHS pathway does not account for.
The fertility calendar for South Asian communities is not the January-to-December secular year. Navaratri, Eid, Diwali, Vaisakhi, and Poya days all carry meaning that intersects with family planning. That does not make them obstacles. It makes them context that deserves to be included in care conversations.
What this app does not do is offer a generic fertility calendar overlaid on South Asian festivals. The variation between communities is too significant. A Sinhalese Buddhist Poya month looks nothing like a Jain Paryushan week. If you want to map your own cycle alongside your religious calendar, the Appy tool can help you do that privately, on your own terms.
Faith & fertility
Faith and fertility views
Islamic jurisprudence on assisted reproduction is among the most documented theological frameworks in the fertility space. Across the four main Sunni schools, Hanafi, Maliki, Hanbali, and Shafi'i, IVF using a married couple's own eggs and sperm is permitted. Sperm donation is forbidden. Egg donation is debated, with different schools taking different positions. Commercial surrogacy is impermissible. Shia jurisprudence is slightly more permissive on some of these points. This is a genuine theological consensus, not an informal community opinion, and it is relevant to Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslim couples who are trying to understand whether treatment is religiously acceptable. What this page does not do is offer a religious ruling. Please speak with your own imam or scholar for personal guidance.
Buddhist framing of infertility differs significantly from Islamic framing. In Sinhalese Buddhist tradition, difficulty conceiving may be understood through the lens of past-life karma, not as punishment, but as context for creating positive karma through this life. Fertility rituals in Sri Lankan Buddhist communities include bodhi tree circumambulation and alms-giving on Poya days. Sikh theology declares men and women equal before God, and family and parenthood are spiritually valued but not mandated. Modern Sikh ethicists accept family planning as responsible stewardship, within the Khalsa code.
Jain ethics offer a different angle on contraception and assisted reproduction. Contraception is not sinful in Jain ethics, and may be framed as non-violent, preventing the suffering of an unwanted child. IVF creates ethical tension in some Jain households around the discard of embryos. Conservative sects differ from more liberal Jain communities on this point. The variation within Jain practice is significant, and cannot be flattened to a single position.
Community guidance
Ramadan during fertility treatment, timing, fasting, and Islamic guidance
Ramadan presents a genuine clinical and spiritual question for Muslim women and couples undergoing fertility treatment. Stimulation injections, egg collection, embryo transfer, the IVF cycle is precise, and Ramadan fasting affects hydration, calories, and drug absorption timing.
Clinical considerations
- Dehydration during fasting can reduce follicle stimulating response, discuss with your clinic
- Injection timing can usually be shifted to pre-dawn (suhoor) or post-sunset (iftar), confirm with your nurse
- Oral progesterone (pessaries) is commonly used post-transfer, fasting does not affect vaginal administration
- Many clinics will schedule IVF cycles to avoid Ramadan if you request it at your baseline appointment
Islamic scholarly positions
- Many scholars consider fertility treatment to fall under medical necessity (darura), which permits breaking the fast
- The Fiqh Council of North America and most UK Muslim scholars permit IVF for married couples
- Missed fasting days due to medical treatment can be made up (qada) after Ramadan
- For personal rulings, speak with a scholar you trust, this is a question of ijtihad, not consensus
Content reviewed by HHH clinical team. Islamic guidance is signposting only, not a fatwa.
Ahimsa and fertility treatment, Jain perspectives
Jain philosophy holds ahimsa (non-harming) as its central ethical principle. For Jain couples navigating fertility treatment, this raises genuine questions about IVF (embryo selection and discard), donor gametes, and certain medications.
Common questions and positions
- IVF and embryo discard: Different Jain communities hold different views. Some consider the fertilised egg to have jiva (soul) from fertilisation; others from implantation. Discuss with a trusted Jain scholar.
- Donor gametes: Jain tradition generally emphasises family lineage (vansh), donor gametes may raise questions. There is no single Jain consensus view.
- Medications: Some fertility drugs are gelatin-capsule based, pharmacists can advise on vegetal alternatives. Injections do not raise ahimsa questions.
These are matters of personal conscience and scholarly guidance, not NHS clinical protocols. A Jain-aware counsellor can help navigate this.
Jain fasting and fertility, what to watch
Jain fasting practices range from paryushan fasting (no food for 8 days), ekasana (one meal per day), and various liquid-only periods. During a fertility treatment cycle, extended fasting can affect ovarian response and hormonal balance.
Jain fasting nutrition for fertility
- During paryushan or ekasana: prioritise protein at your one meal (paneer, lentils, tofu if acceptable)
- Boiled water fasting (only water, no fresh juice) is safe short-term but avoid during stimulation phase
- Iron-rich foods from the permitted Jain list: spinach, fenugreek, sesame, relevant for menstruating women
- Supplements: most common fertility supplements (folic acid, CoQ10, vitamin D) have Jain-compliant vegetarian options
If you are mid-IVF cycle, tell your clinic which fasting period you observe. Most cycles can be scheduled around major paryushan if booked 3+ months ahead.
Fasting and cycle planner
Major South Asian fasting periods and what they mean for your cycle. This is a planning guide, not medical advice. Talk to your care team before making any changes during treatment.
| Fast name | When | Duration | Cycle phase note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramadan | March or April (lunar calendar) | 30 days | Ovulation window may fall during fast. Protein intake and hydration matter for egg quality and medication absorption during IVF cycles. |
| Paryushan (Jain) | August or September | 8 days | Extended restriction in some Jain households. Iron and B12 intake worth monitoring, especially when trying to conceive. |
| Navaratri | October (autumn) | 9 days | Grain-free eating for 9 days. Minimal nutritional impact for most, but energy balance matters across the luteal phase. |
| Karwa Chauth | October (full moon) | 1 day | Single full day, no water. Low risk for most. Plan it around your ovulation window if hydration affects your tracking method. |
| Ekadashi (fortnightly) | Twice monthly (lunar) | 1 day each | Cumulative effect on energy balance if followed strictly every fortnight. Worth tracking alongside your cycle if you observe both. |
Fasting is a personal and spiritual choice. This table helps you plan, not tells you what to do. Speak to your care team if you are on fertility medication during any fasting period.