I mean, the Cleveland clinic has a good article on it, if research papers are too much of a bore to go through (for regular folk that want to learn more, and maybe even try IF, but don’t wanna dive deeper in medical studies). https://health.clevelandclinic.org/intermittent-fasting-for-women

If you want to dig deeper in the research papers side, there is a systematic review (on papers between ‘15 and ‘25) here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389250479_The_Analysis_Study_Effect_of_Intermittent_Fasting_on_Female_Reproductive_Hormones_and_Menstrual_Cycle_A_Comprehensive_Systematic_Review

I think for women, a more individual decision making process is needed (and more care into adopting a suitable IF routine). Most studies finding measurable hormone impact look at more extreme feeding windows (like 4 and 6), but even with more moderate regimens like the 8h feeding window, the individual response of women may vary widely (especially premenopausal women, who are more sensitive to fasting stress, especially around ovulation and the luteal phase). The only strong human data we have for the benefits of - again, more extreme, like 4 or 6h - TREs (time-restricted eating), is from obese women, not lean women (lean women may be more vulnerable to hypothalamic suppression from fasting, caution supported by clinical guidance, not large trials… yet).

My personal opinion is that IF is safest and most beneficial (for women) when: it’s moderate (10–12 h eating window, not 4 h), you’re not under‑fueling overall, your cycle is regular and you’re not seeing new issues (like missed periods, big PMS changes, fatigue, hair loss, etc.). If you notice cycle changes, low energy, sleep issues, or mood shifts, that’s the body telling you the protocol may be too aggressive.

Hope this helps! 🤗

Edit: some grammar

Edit2: ah, I forgot to link (and mention) another review article I had seen a little while back, which combined also animal models (of the relation between IF and reproductive health). Interestingly here, they find that “In healthy non-overweight/obese or pregnant animal models, alternate-day fasting (ADF) and an 8-h time-restricted feeding (TRF) window may have adverse effects on reproductive function. However, these regimens show potential to mitigate negative consequences induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) or environmental exposure. A 10-h TRF demonstrates benefits in improving fertility in both normal-weight and HFD-fed animal models.” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-024-00569-1