Ramadan fasting can be potentially hazardous for pregnant women as it is associated with risks of inducing labour and causing gestational diabetes, although it does not appear to affect the child's weight. it is permissible to not fast if it threatens the woman's or the child's lives, however, in many instances pregnant women are normal before development of complications. Thus, it may be advisable for pregnant women to skip fasting and pay fidyah instead (if the women are able to pay, poor people may be exempted fully).